Kaiser of the Cold
by Marcus Cersy
Summary: In the year X777, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the Ice Dragon Frostfall just up and left him and his sister to fend for their own lives. Drifting around without a particular goal other than looking for their Dragon mother, Marcus and Emma Cersy stumble across the small guild in the Worth Woodsea, called Cait Shelter.
1. Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

**So... I think it's about time I explained my disappearance for the last few months.**

 **First of all, I got a Christmas temporary job at a card shop in town, and it's been absolute chaos every shift, with everyone getting ready for the big 25th day.**

 **Second of all, Pokémon Ultra Sun. As a mega pokemon nerd, I had to get the game, and boy was it worth it! The game is great, with plot twists and unexpected moments from halfway in to the game to the end, and the big mascot legendary this time was disgusting! Anyone who's battled Ultra Necrozma will know my pain, unless you have a Zoroark.**

 **Thirdly, Star Wars Battlefront 2. I love this game too much to stop, the lag can be unbearable at some points, but the game is otherwise great, my favourite game mode being Heroes vs Villains, playing as either Chewbacca, Han Solo or Iden Versio.**

 **But. HERE I AM! With a completely new story! And before ANYONE ASKS about YGO Battle Force, my answer will be, I'M WORKING ON IT! Despite the fact I use a dragon deck, I hate the Blue-Eyes archtype, I only run 1 blue-eyes for the fact it's a 3K beatstick.**

 **Ahem... Fairy Tail, probably my second favourite anime after Sword Art Online, third being Digimon. Regardless, the start of this story might seem a little similar to Celestial Sky Dragon's Hellfire Dragon Slayer story, but no. I am not copying his legendary work, (Which, btw, I highly recommend a read!)**

 **ANYWAY! Enough rambling me, it's time for the Disclaimers!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail, which is owned by Hiro Mashima. I do own my two OCs though.**

* * *

 **Kaiser of the Cold  
**

 **Chapter 1: Ice Dragon Marcus  
**

 **Title Song: Butter-Fly by Amanda Lee**

* * *

 _In a land far, far away, lies the kingdom of Fiore. A small, peaceful nation of seventeen million and a place filled with magic._

 _Found in homes, bought and sold in every marketplace, for most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life._

 _For some, however, magic is an art, and they have dedicated their lives to its practice. These are the wizards._

 _Banded together into magical guilds, they plant their skills in search of fame and fortune, and many of these guilds dot the landscape of Fiore._

 _But in a small village in a massive forest, a small guild is about to be brought to life._

 _It's name is Cait Shelter_

* * *

"Man, how hot is it today…?" A young, raven-haired man asked, looking up at the sky, shielding his ice blue eyes from the sun. "I feel as if I'm about to melt…" He was wearing a white shirt which he had unbuttoned, showing a developing muscle pack, black pants and boots.

"Well, come on Marcus… we've travelled almost a quarter of the country to follow this lead, if you melt before we get there, imagine what might happen if there's a fight, or a bad lead?" A slightly younger girl asked, wiping some sweat from her brow. She also had black hair, but it was more-silky and fell to her shoulders in a single ponytail. She was wearing an orange sleeveless top with black outlines, a black pleated skirt, held up by a brown belt with a small pouch on her right hip. She also wore brown boots.

"Hey… Emma, what if it really is her though?" Marcus asked. "Why would she be here? Why did she leave us three years ago, eh?"

"I don't know, but I miss her brother…" Emma sighed.

"I do as well," Marcus nodded. He then glanced around, "On another note, where do you think we are anyway?" He asked.

"Not sure, but look, I see smoke in that direction, and smoke usually means people," Emma pointed. Sure enough, where her finger was pointing towards, a few columns of smoke were puffing up out of the trees.

"Maybe they might have a map of the area," Marcus shrugged. "I think we should head that way."

But before either could take a step, trees in front of them were smashed apart by a large green ape with purple skin under its fur. It stopped and eyed the two siblings, before giving a grin.

"Human, give me girl," it demanded.

"A Forest Vulcan… perverted monkeys with phenomenal strength, they also have a limited ability in Take-over magic," Emma reminded Marcus.

"I know, get ready, this might end with a brawl," Marcus said, cracking his knuckles. "And what if I don't?" He asked the monkey.

"You die," The Vulcan grunted, before springing forward with a fist. Both siblings leapt aside, before Marcus landed a kick against the back of his head, and Emma kicked the small of his back.

The Vulcan was quickly on his feet again, swatting Emma aside with an arm the size of a tree trunk. The young teen was unable to react in time, and went tumbling into a rock, and fell unconscious from the impact.

"Emma!" Marcus called, concern filling his face, before it turned into primal rage. He turned to the monkey. "That was a mistake." He said, the temperature dropping.

"Why it cold?" The Vulcan asked, shivering.

"Because you just picked a fight with the son of an Ice Dragon," The raven-haired teen answered, before he leapt forwards, cold mists appearing on his hands.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Claw!"** He yelled, four razor sharp claws appearing on his hands, made of solid ice. The Vulcan roared with pain as the attack connected, shearing away lines of his green fur and causing large cuts to appear.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Icicle!"** He then leapt off the Vulcan's head, forming a javelin of ice in his hand which he tossed down to the monkey, stabbing it through the shoulder.

He landed a few feet away, and took in a deep breath. **"Ice Dragon… ROAR!"** A stream of cold air and snow shot from his mouth, slamming into the Vulcan with the strength of a steam locomotive. The Vulcan wobbled for a bit, before keeling over, patches of ice covering his body.

"And don't get back up," Marcus scowled, before he rushed towards his sister. Her head had a nasty cut, from when she had impacted, and her nose looked broken from the collision as well.

He lifted his sister into his arms, and his eyes narrowed, setting sight on the smoke in the distance. "Hang on kiddo… I'll get you some help," and he took off into the forest, looking for any sign of people.

* * *

"Wendy! I need another basket here!" A woman's voice called out.

A small girl with blue hair and brown eyes stood up from her drawings and rushed out, carrying a straw basket. "Here you are Mona," She said.

"Thanks, can you handle the Pecha berries from these vines? I'll handle the strawberries," the woman, a brown-haired, green-eyed young lady, asked her.

Wendy nodded, setting to work, plucking the pink berries from the lower plants. The girl had been at it for ten minutes when she heard rapidly approaching footsteps. "Can I get some help?! I have wounded here!"

Her training and caring attitude instantly kicked in, and she rushed over to join a muscular young man who was talking to a black-haired young man holding a girl. "… so can I count on some aid for my sister?" the stranger asked.

"Sure thing, I'll fetch our best healer… oh, there you are Wendy. Can we count on you to help today?" the other man asked.

"Sure thing Nobal, right this way please mister," Wendy gestured to a hut not far from the building in the centre of the village. The teen followed the two locals inside, and laid the girl he was carrying on a bed in the middle of the room.

Wendy instantly examined the nasty wounds on her head. "What caused this?" She asked.

"Vulcan, and it was a complete bother too," the boy said, stood to the side.

"Ok… looks like that gash on her head, a broken nose and probably a concussion…" Wendy said. She rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath, holding her hands over the girl's head.

The boy watched with amazement and intrigue as a soft, blue glow shone from her hands, and the large cut on his sister's head close as if by magic. Which it was.

"I fixed her wounds, all she'll have when she wakes up with be a slight headache, which I'd let run it's course," Wendy said, wiping sweat from her brow upon finishing her work.

The boy examined the spot where the wound had been, "Amazing… it's like it was never there…" He observed. He turned to Wendy and bowed, "Thanks for your help, Miss…?"

"I'm Wendy. Wendy Marvell. What's your name?" Wendy asked.

"Marcus Cersy. This is my sister, Emma."

"What are you doing around here Marcus? The Worth Woodsea is very large you know, easy to get lost here," Wendy asked.

"We… we were following up on a lead… on a dragon sighting," Marcus said, causing Wendy's eyes to widen.

"A… dragon?" She asked. _Could it be her?_ She thought.

"Yup, we were hoping it would be our foster mother, the Ice Dragon Frostfall," He sighed. "It was probably just a wyvern…"

"Frostfall?" Wendy muttered. "An Ice Dragon…" Her mind then realised something. "Wait a minute… are you… a Dragon Slayer?!"

"How'd you guess so fast?" Marcus asked. As he looked at her, his nose was noticing a familiar scent on her… dragon… "Hold up… you're one as well… aren't you?"

"My own foster mother. The Sky Dragon, Grandeeney taught me as much as she could, before July 7th, in the year X777, when she disappeared without a trace," Wendy nodded.

"What a bizarre coincidence, Frostfall vanished on the same day, same month, same year," Marcus muttered.

Wendy glanced down at Emma, "Is she an Ice Dragon Slayer too?" she asked.

"Nah, Emma never found it to be worth the pain, but she did train in another type of magic," Marcus said. "She trained in-"

"Wendy, are you in here child?" An elderly man entered the hut, interupting the boy, he was just taller than Wendy, with a long white beard, complete with a mustache, which extended up on his face's sides, making for a large pair of sideburns and his two bushy eyebrows as well. On his forehead was a tattoo, composed of a dot surrounded by two arched stripes.

He donned an attire somehow reminiscent of that of an old chieftain of sorts, with a large headgear composed of feathers, with more, lighter-coloured feathers adorning the back of his waist. He had a light cloth tied circling his waist, paired with loose dark pants reaching below his knees and simple shoes, and his chest was bare, with a necklace seemingly made of massive teeth around his neck, hanging over it. He also sported a large bracelet on each arm's bicep, and some bandages wrapped around the forearms. "I see we have guests," He said, glancing at Marcus and his sister.

"Oh, hello Master," Wendy smiled.

"Master?" Marcus questioned.

"Young man, I hope you are well yourself?" The elder asked.

"I am fine sir, just a little tired, I've been travelling for a few days with little rest now," Marcus said.

"Then stay as long as you find necessary, we have plenty of space here at Cait Shelter," The old man smiled.

"Master Roubaul is right, stay as long as you like," Wendy nodded.

"Cait Shelter?" Marcus picked up on two words.

"Wizard Guild Cait Shelter, we're a small bunch, but we get work done now and then," Roubaul chuckled. "In fact, if you ever find that you're looking for a guild, then our door is always open."

"Well, I really appreciate that, thank you," Marcus said. "When my sister wakes up, I'll talk to her about it."

"Talk to me about what…?" the girl on the bed asked, stirring.

"Hey, you ok sis?" Marcus asked.

"Just a throb in the head is all," Emma replied. She took notice of the locals.

"Relax, I brought you here to get your head patched up after you hit a rock hard. These two here are Wendy," He lifted a hand to point at the blue-haired child, "And Master Roubaul of Cait Shelter. It's a wizard guild."

"What about that lead?" Emma asked.

"I realise now that it was probably just a wyvern. The possibility that Frostfall, or Wendy's own dragon, Grandeeney for that matter, would just reappear and carelessly allow people to see them… it just wouldn't happen," Marcus sighed. "Master Roubaul here is offering an open door for us to join his guild, what do you think?" He asked.

"I think that's a great idea, we had been planning on joining one at some point anyway," Emma shrugged. She turned to the Cait Shelter members. "We'd be honoured if we could join your guild."

Roubaul chuckled, "Then follow me and we'll get you signed up," He said, before leaving the hut, the two siblings and Wendy following him.

* * *

 **Marcus: And so it begins! I'm looking forward to this one!**

 **Emma: Just like with Yu-Gi-Oh, this has been a story he wanted to try for a long time.**

 **Wendy: Really? What stopped you?**

 **Marcus: Finding the right plot bunny to set me on my track, that's why I took some inspiration from Celestial Sky Dragon's work, as it's just brilliant.**

 **All: Next time: Welcome to Cait Shelter!  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Cait Shelter!

**Well, I'm back from my Christmas break, and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families and friends too. Highlight of my Christmas must have been the Mug and Pint Glass I got for my pops, with 'His Lordship' stamped on the side.**

 **Now, who's ready for a new year of writing!? I AM! I plan on soldiering on with this one, and I promise guys, I will try to get Marcus vs Kaiba done on YGO Battle Forces, but Blue Eyes decks are hard to use!**

 **Oh, for this chapter, I will give a gold star to anyone who recognises not only the two guest characters, but also the first one's 'magic'.**

 **I only own my OCs, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Welcome to Cait Shelter!**

 **Title Song: A New Adventure - (Fairy Tail 2014 Official Soundtrack)**

* * *

Marcus glanced at the stamper, "This won't hurt, will it?" He asked the old man.

"Not at all!" Roubaul smiled, as a woman, with soft green eyes and black hair, holding the object approached them.

"Alright, tell me where you want your emblem, and what colour?" She asked.

"This is Lana, she's pretty much the chef here at the guild," Wendy said.

"I'll take my emblem on my shoulder, in blue," Marcus said, offering his left shoulder, Lana pressed down the stamp, allowing the magic to apply the symbol to his skin.

Emma thought about it, then raised her shirt, revealing her right bicep, "Right here please," She said, pointing at the spot, Lana then did the same for her.

"Welcome to Cait Shelter you two, allow me to formally introduce myself, I'm Roubaul, master of this guild," The elderly man said, now sat in a large chair at the end of the hall.

"I'm Marcus Cersy, this is my sister Emma," Marcus said.

"I'm Wendy Marvell, lovely to meet you both!" Wendy chirped.

"So… Wendy, why don't you show our new members around the village, and show them where they'll be staying," Roubaul said to the blue-haired girl.

"Ok master," Wendy nodded, and guided the two out the door.

* * *

"The whole village shares the same name as the guild," The girl said, as they walked around. "We earn most of our income due to our crops and crafts, every outfit you see us wearing is thanks to our own hands and a steady hand.

"I live in a hut on the outskirts of town, it's got plenty of room, so if you want, we can share. If not, the hut opposite is currently not owned," Wendy said, pointing to a hut with a blue door and green window frames. She then pointed to the other option, which looked a little bland at the moment.

"I think we'll take that spare hut if you don't mind, but if you want Emma can come and sleep over sometimes," Marcus said, patting the two girls on the shoulder, both glanced at each other and smiled.

"We'll have to do something about the colour, or rather the lack of such," Emma told him.

"Yeah, but let's go drop off our bags, then Wendy can show us around a bit more," He said, opening the door to the hut and putting his bag on the ground inside, then a second bag glowed into existence in his hands, which he then put in as well. Emma followed suit with her own two bags on her body.

"Is that Requip magic?" Wendy asked.

"Sort of, it's just to have a bigger backpack," Marcus said with a shrug.

"Anyway, back to the tour," Emma smiled.

"Right!" Wendy beamed, glad to be helpful.

* * *

She took them back into the guildhall, and walked up to a large bulletin board with a variety of papers, not many however.

"This is the request board, this is where wizarding jobs are put up, waiting for a member of the guild to take a mission, mostly, the jobs are just baking and pet rescue missions, but there are the very few occasions when a bandit extermination mission comes in.

"Jobs are classed into D, C, B, A and S ranks, I find myself often taking D-rank jobs, with some C-class sometimes," She said.

Marcus' eyes danced around the few job requests that were there. "Not much to choose from is there?" He asked.

"Ah ha… this looks interesting," Emma said, pointing at one. Marcus and Wendy both looked at it.

* * *

 _Bandits have taken over the local town of Po, requesting any wizards to clear them out or detain them!_

 _Reward: 150,000 Jewel._

* * *

Marcus found himself whistling, "Good eye Emma," He said, pulling the paper from the pin and taking it up to the master, who was now at the bar next to the board, having a drink.

"We'd like to take this job if you're ok with it?" He said.

Roubaul eyed the request, "I'll approve on one condition," He said.

"And that is?" Asked Marcus.

"Take Wendy with you," Roubaul asked, causing the three to look at the small head of blue hair. "She's young, and as I like to say, younger people learn faster," He said.

"I understand," Marcus nodded. "Come on kiddo, you're coming with us on this one," He said, heading for the door.

"Huh?! Me?" Wendy asked. "I can't fight bandits! I only know two attack spells…"

"Then we'll cover for you," Emma smiled to her new friend.

"She's right, just watch and learn," Marcus nodded.

"Ok, I'll try not to hold you back guys," Wendy pumped her little hands, determination now set across her face.

* * *

"I forgot how much I hate carriages…" Marcus mumbled, looking green as he stuck his head out the back of the wagon. He was wearing a white longcoat with a black tank top beneath. Since joining the guild, he tore off the left sleeves of his clothes, showing his guild mark to the world. He was also wearing a pair of black combats and black boots.

"You have motion sickness?" Wendy asked. She was wearing a white, blue and yellow dress that fell to her knees, her hair was smoothened out behind her, and a pair of white cotton decorative bands were wrapped around her wrists.

"This always happens to him when he rides a vehicle," Emma sighed. "Boat, train, carriage, you name it," She was just drawing away on a pad of paper, glancing up at Wendy who was sat opposite her. She was wearing a white sailor uniform shirt with a yellow neckerchief, a yellow school skirt, black tights and brown light boots, on a yellow ribbon around her waist, a small box sat on her hip.

"Maybe I can cast a spell that might restore your sense of balance," Wendy offered.

"Stay right there," Marcus mumbled, struggling to sit up against the side. "Frostfall told me a few things of how different dragon slayer magic works. I know what spell you are speaking of, and the more you cast it on a single target, it can make them immune to its effects," He told her.

"But you're suffering…" Wendy muttered.

"And I'll soldier on. Only use that spell if it's absolutely necessary," Marcus grunted.

Emma put down her pencils. "What do you think?" She asked.

The two dragon slayers' eyes widened, Emma had drawn a perfect portrait of Wendy from her waist up. "Wow Emma, that's amazing…" Wendy chirped.

"Indeed," Marcus nodded weakly.

The carriage then came to a halt. "This is as far as I will go," The driver said. "The bandits of Po town are organised, they have patrols and sentries too."

"How many are in a patrol usually?" Marcus asked, now able to focus.

"Four to five, usually they're armed with any weapon you can think of, but some survivors said that there are a handful of wizards inside," The driver said.

"Thank you for the intel, here, a bonus for the warning," Emma said, tossing a small pouch to him.

"One last thing, is there a good hill to overlook the town?" Marcus asked, pulling a small pipe from his pocket, with a twirl, it snapped open to show it was a telescope of some kind.

"Best vantage point would be the hill to the west of the town," The driver said.

* * *

"Two patrols… one in the town, one out, two sentry nests with a pair of crossbows… the mayor's hall has a pair of guards as well," Marcus said. He then looked up the road, and smirked when he saw a possible way in.

"Marcus, what's the plan?" Wendy asked, as Marcus handed her the telescope.

Marcus moved back, grabbing a stick, "Ok, I saw a wagon approaching, one with a big haul, so here's my plan…" He muttered to the girls.

"Ok, everyone know their roles?" Marcus asked them.

"Do I have to be bait?" Wendy asked with worry.

"Sorry, I need Emma to help capture this objective," Marcus told her. "I'll make it up to you, I promise," He smiled.

* * *

Wendy nodded nervously, and strolled out, crossing the road as the wagon approached. With surprising bravery, she waved the driver down.

"Excuse me sir, do you know the way to Clover Town from here?" She asked.

"Uh… it's about seven miles back along the road," The driver said, clearly surprised about something.

"What's the holdup?!" Asked a voice in the back, and out came a man definitely dressed like a bandit, with torn clothing and a mean looking mace over his shoulder. He then laid his eyes on Wendy.

"Hey… she'd probably earn a pretty bit of jewel, wasn't that slavers group from Bosco in Hargeon a few weeks ago?" He asked the driver.

"Uh… something like that, I think…" The driver shrugged.

"Well little lady, you better cooperate nicely, I'd hate to mess your pretty face up," The bandit chuckled.

Suddenly, the mace wielder was eating dirt, as Marcus sprang into action, downing the man with a knee to the gut, then a brutal double axe handle swing down on his back. He then decided to pull off the man's cloak, donning it himself.

At the same time, Emma leapt into the back of the wagon, shocking another man who clearly had been napping. She then surprised him by materialising a long quarterstaff and bashing his head with it.

Perhaps the most surprising was when Wendy ditched the innocent act, moving with quickness not thought possible to Marcus, she jumped onto the driver's perch, and pushed him off and onto the ground, however, she then stumbled, accidently falling down on his face, sending him into a slumber.

"Nice work girls, ok, let's get the next phase ready, Wendy, I'll need that spell of yours," Marcus said to the girl, as Emma dragged the men behind a bush, tying them up with rope.

Wendy nodded, and held out her hands, **"Troia!"** She said, a soft blue glow pulsing onto Marcus' body.

The young man then clambered up to take the reins, calming down the horse. "Ok you two, hop in the back," He said. The girls complied, and Marcus flicked the reins, pushing the horse to move on.

* * *

"Halt," Marcus pulled the wagon to a stop. A bandit standing guard at the gate had pulled him over.

"What'd you get this time?" He asked.

"Gold, skins and food," Marcus said, roughing up his voice.

"And what's the safeword?" He asked.

Marcus cursed, that hadn't been part of the plan. "I guess the jig is up already eh?" He muttered.

The bandit only had a second to comprehend the comment, when Marcus slammed a fist into his face.

"We're busted girls!" He called to his companions.

With a powerful jump, he held out his hands, **"Ice Dragon Icicle!"** He threw a spear of ice at one tower, immobilising the guard that was raising a crossbow to shoot.

Emma emerged, pulling a black key from the box at her belt, **"Open! Gate of the Hammer! Thor, Lord of Thunder!"** She chanted, swiping the key down, a gold magic seal appearing before her.

From the circle appeared a large man wearing strong looking steel armour from neck to boots, with a flowing red cape behind him. A thick hammer was in his hands, and was surging with lightning magic.

"You call, Young Valkyrie?" He asked.

"Do what you do best and beat up these bandits!" Emma commanded.

"As you command!" Thor glanced at the second tower, where another guard was aiming at Marcus, who was fighting the guards at the front door. With a shout, he tossed his hammer at the tower, clubbing into the bandit and knocking him out.

Emma then drew her quarterstaff, and joined her brother, bonking it on the head of one bandit, then twirling it and slamming it into the gut of another.

Meanwhile Marcus raised his fist, **"Ice Dragon Frigid Hammer!"** ice solidified around his hands, and he continued to punch away at any bandit daring to take him on.

He then saw a larger bandit lumber towards him, **"Ice Dragon Glacier Gash!"** A pair of blades of ice formed on his wrists, and he slashed at the man, rendering him unconscious with a pair of crisp strikes.

Wendy watched them both at work, amazed to see them tearing through the bandits with ease. Her dragon slayer hearing then picked up footsteps, and turned to see the exterior patrol coming their way. She narrowed her eyes, and took a brave stance, sucking in air and taking a deep breath.

 **"** **Sky Dragon ROAR!"** She bellowed, letting out a hurricane from her mouth, which blew all the bandits away, save for two smarter enemies who plunged their weapons into the ground.

 **"** **Sky Dragon Wing Attack!"** Wendy cried out, waving her arms down before her, sending two slashes of air that sent the two stragglers after their allies into a slumber.

She turned back to see that Marcus, Emma and Thor had made it to the main gate.

Thor slammed a big fist down on the last bandit, "Young Valkyrie, the enemy has been neutralised," He said.

"I can see that Thor," Emma sighed, the thunder god always had a way of stating the obvious.

"Nice work everyone, even you Wendy, even though you say you aren't experienced, you can kick plenty of ass," Marcus smiled, he stared up at the gate. "Now to gatecrash this party."

Thor threw his hammer at the large wooden structure, smashing it open.

They were greeted by a welcoming committee of at least twenty bandits, armed with a mixture of different weapons. Marcus turned to Wendy, "how about a double attack?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Our magic complements each other, just follow my lead," He said. Emma and Thor stepped back, getting behind the dragon slayer duo.

 **"** **Ice Dragon…"**

Wendy then realised what he meant, **"Sky Dragon…"**

 **"** **ROAR!"** Their two elements started from the middle, and split as Marcus directed his attack left and Wendy to the right. The bandits stood no chance, getting blown into the buildings, street lamps and other objects.

"Ok, we need to track down the leader of this group of thugs! My guess is that he'll be at the town hall, maybe in the mayor's office," Marcus said. "Wendy, You go with Emma, deal with all these thugs, I'll pay him a house call."

With those words said, he took off down the street, swatting aside any minion that got in his way. The town hall was guarded by two guys, but Marcus could tell immediately that these two were different.

One wore a white coat, with a green trim down the middle, black pants and boots, and on his arm was a blue armband, with a mark of some kind on it, he was pretty much bald, and had four kanji on his face. He was also armed with a freakishly armed frying pan for some reason.

The other, larger man, was wearing a blue jacket with yellow stripes on his arms, white pants and black boots. He had long, dark and curly hair, which was arranged in a distinctive hairstyle, with four large, straight tufts jutting upwards on top of his head, getting smaller near their outer edges. His face was squared, with a very prominent, mildly rounded and hooked nose, and his dark eyes were topped by a light bandana covered in spiralling dark motifs, obscuring his forehead and keeping his hair back.

"Who are you two boneheads and where can I find your leader?" He asked them.

"We are the Vanish Brothers, employed to be bodyguards for these bandits," The small one said.

"And since you seem to be attacking them, that makes you our enemy," The big one said.

Marcus crossed his arms, he recognised the mark on their arms now. The Vanish Brothers were two members of a Mercenary Guild called Southern Wolves, and the fact that they were here made things a little more difficult, as they were renowned fighters.

Nevertheless, they were in his way. Icy mists formed on his hands. "If you two don't move aside, I'll freeze you where you stand," He warned them.

"It seems our adversary is a castor type wizard..." White jacket said.

"Which are much easier to beat," Blue jacket said.

The small one quickly went on the offence, swinging his frying pan like a strange hammer. Marcus ducked under a horizontal swing, and sprang to the side, avoiding a downwards kick from blue.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Talon!"** Marcus coated his leg in ice, swinging down at blue with his own axe kick that sent the bigger man reeling.

"An ice wizard huh?" The small one muttered as Marcus took in a deep breath.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Roar!"** His signature breath attack burst free, but white adjusted his frying pan, and blocked the attack.

"It's not fire… but let's see if this works…" The smaller man twisted his body, and the pan, and the ice attack returned in full. **"Ice Cooking!"** He said.

Marcus didn't move, instead just letting the attack hit him dead on. "Marcus!" Wendy called out from behind him.

"Don't worry Wendy, don't forget what big bro is," Emma said, putting a hand in front of the blue haired girl.

Both Vanish Brothers smirked as a cloud of mist and dust kicked up where Marcus stood. "Guess he could dish it out, but couldn't take it back," The big guy observed.

"Indeed," The small one chuckled. He paused, hearing some kind of... slurping? "Wait… what's that sound?"

The mist suddenly was heading in towards the centre of the cloud, and the dust settled to show Marcus gulping down the last of the redirected ice.

When he finished, he chuckled, "Boy… been a while since I had such a nice meal, your cooking is top notch little man," He gave a thumbs up to the pan user.

"Combo attack bro?" Asked blue, to which the small man held his pan out in front of him, however, both suddenly flinched, as Marcus shot towards them.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Spearhead!"** Calling out his attack, Marcus was suddenly enveloped in a spear of ice, to which he tackled into both brothers with amazing force.

He glanced back to them both, "You know, anyone who lets you set up such a 'combo attack' must be a complete idiot. My advice? Go home before I freeze your feet to the ground."

Recovering quickly, the two brothers fled the town without a second thought. Marcus turned to the girls.

"Well, shall we go introduce ourselves to whoever is in charge here?" He asked, getting a pair of nods in return.

Marcus pushed open the doors, and was surprised when a man stood in the hallway, this man had white hair, dark eyes and black eyebrows. He wore a black jacket with a zigzag pattern on both sides of his jacket, which has the skull and crossbones on the back. He also wore a white shirt, some black pants with two white X's under his knees and a pair of white shoes. The man also had a purple tattoo of the skull and crossbones on his left arm and a golden watch, while on his right hand are black and white bracelets. He also wore sunglasses with a golden frame (with one of the glasses being bent) above his brow, and a locket that has yellow skull and crossbones.

"The hated boss that beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up…" He said, putting his hands in his pockets and slouching slightly, giving him a punk vibe. "Yeah. Big Bad Guzma's here!"

He gave the three wizards a look over, before focusing on Marcus, "Greetings guild wizards," He laughed. "In one corner, we have some snivelling council dogs! And in this corner, the boss of the bandit tribe, Team Skull, and the hardest guy around, Guzma!"

"Stop being so tough sounding," Marcus deadpanned, not amused.

"Fine then, let's get this started, shall we?" He asked. **"First Impression!"** Before Marcus could even get a move in, Guzma was in his face, and one of his boots was in Marcus' gut, and he went flying back through the doorway.

He then rounded on Emma, arms glowing a vibrant green, **"X-Scizzor!"** He yelled, crossing his arms down. Emma danced away, and whipped out a key.

 **"** **Open! Gate of the Defender! Appear Hogun, Fortune teller Warrior!"** An elfish man appeared, armed with a staff, and wearing a simple brown martial gi. The Elf quickly reacted to the attack, and ducked under and jabbed Guzma in his chin with his staff.

"Celestial Spirit magic huh?" Guzma questioned. "You'll be fun to play with. And what about you?" He turned to Wendy, who gulped at the attention.

 **"** **Bug Buzz!"** High pitched soundwaves shot from his mouth, heading straight for Wendy.

 **"** **Sky Dragon Roar!"** Wendy countered bravely with a strong breath attack of her own, the two attacks colliding and holding each other in the middle. But Guzma quickly amped the power of his, and the shockwaves knocked little Wendy off her feet.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Icicle!"** A lance of ice shot through the door, clipping Guzma in his hip. Marcus walked back in, and he was furious.

"Look here pal, you're causing a lot of problems for Clover Town, as well as the former citizens of this town too. That means that you've gotta give up, or get out," He said.

Guzma chuckled, "And who's going to stop me Dragon boy? You and your little fan club?" He asked.

"For the record, she's my sister," Marcus pointed to Emma. Wendy got to her feet too, and stepped behind Marcus a little bit.

"I'll support you Marcus," She said. **"Oh Fast winds that speed through the heavens! VERNIER!"** A magic circle appeared underneath Marcus, which surprised him at first, but then he realised she was helping him.

"My body feels so much lighter…" He muttered, before grinning. "Let's try this again bug boy!"

Guzma smirked himself, "Fine, if you're speeding up, let's match you, **Quiver Dance!"** He gave a couple of fast movements, a red aura overtaking him. **"Pin Missile!"** Green darts shoot from his hands and back, all shooting towards Marcus, who is surprised at their quickness and yells out as the attacks connected with him.

Wendy turned to Emma, "Why is your spirit just standing there?" She asked, glancing up at the Elf, who was stood there like a guard or soldier or something.

"Hogun is a strange one, he only protects me if I get hit," Emma sighed, closing his gate without another word. "Sorry Marcus, I'm out of spirits, as Thor took a lucky headshot outside, and Titania passed through by herself to take a hit for me!" She called to her brother.

"Don't worry," He grunted, feeling the stings of the latest attack. He got back to his feet, and took a deep breath. **"Ice Dragon Frozen ROAR!"** He puffed up his cheeks, ready to unleash another breath attack, but this time, it was a hailstorm that shot from his mouth.

 **"** **Silver Wind!"** Guzma waved his hands forward, powerful gusts of silvery wind shot forward, but the hailstorm shot right through, slamming into the bandit wizard's chest.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Claw!"** Marcus charged forwards, hands covered in icy claws and slashed across Guzma's face and stomach.

The leader got to his feet again. "Alright then… guess it's time I brought out my biggest spell…" He panted, before crossing his arms across in front of him, before raising his hands above his head, then sweeping both across his front. Finally, he thrust both hands out in front of him, spider silk shooting from his palms, **"Savage Spin-Out!"**

"What the…!" Marcus, Wendy and Emma yelped as the silk enveloped all three, which Guzma then yanked over his head, pulling them trapped in the thread across the ceiling and down onto the ground, then dragging them around him, before his hand glowed green, dashing forwards and slashing right through all three, causing them to yell in pain.

"You both ok?" Marcus asked, panting heavily. He glanced over to see Wendy struggling to her knees, before looking to his other side to see Emma wincing in pain against the wall.

He then grunted, and got to his feet again, "You're really starting to _bug_ me pal!" He said. **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"** He yelled, arms becoming covered in a misty aura. **"Sacred Snow: Frozen Storm Wings!"** With a mighty yell, he waved his arms down, a massive array of icy sickles flying forwards and slamming into Guzma, who gave a cry of pain as Marcus poured all he had left into the attack.

Wendy and Emma smiled painfully, as Marcus glared at the downed form of Guzma. "And stay down," He told the bandit leader.

"Yeah… I think I'll do that…" Guzma groaned, seeing stars.

* * *

That afternoon, the three wizards, bandages covering parts of their bodies, met with the mayor of Po town, a man by name of Kukui Barnett. "Thank you, brave wizards for handling Guzma and his bandits," He bowed to them.

"It was nothing Mr mayor," Marcus waved off the praise.

Kukui's wife, a woman named Samantha, shook her head, "Judging by the bandages, I would say that it was definitely not 'nothing'," She said with amazement. "I'm shocked you're even standing."

"Chalk it up to lost magic and resilience," Emma smiled.

"Either way, since you've retaken Po Town, and Guzma and his Skull bandits are being thrown in prison, I can happily reward you with the 150,000 Jewel," Kukui said, gesturing to the three brown cases on the table, each filled with fifty grand in cash.

"It has been our pleasure to serve sir, please, if you ever have any trouble, please, send a request towards Cait Shelter, we could do with the more interesting jobs," Wendy admitted.

* * *

Marcus sighed, lying down on the bedroll, "What. A. Day." He muttered. Since Po Town was rather close to Cait Shelter, they had walked home, and the three wizards returned just in time for supper, after which, they retired to their huts.

"You said it," Emma said, from across the room. "We've gone from fighting Vulcans to joining a guild to fighting a bunch of bandits, all in one day," She yawned.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think we made the right choice joining this guild," Marcus smiled, glancing over to his sister.

"I agree, now let's get some sleep, and see what happens tomorrow," Emma nodded, before rolling over and closing her eyes.

Marcus kept his eyes on her for a little longer, before smiling again. _Goodnight sister._ He thought, before closing his own eyes and hearing to sleep.

* * *

 **Marcus: It's good to be back in action!**

 **Wendy: Welcome back!**

 **Emma: It's about time, sheesh! And did you have to put 'It's Ya BOI' Guzma in?**

 **Marcus: Well if you paid attention, I've been enjoying Christmas, oh, and Sonic Forces, love it so much! And YES, OF COURSE I DID!**

 **Emma: Soundtrack is great as ever when it comes to a Sonic game, and Level design was nice, a little repetitive at times.**

 **Wendy: What are you two talking about?**

 **Marcus: Don't worry kid.**

 **All: Next time: The Worth Woodsea**


	3. Chapter 3: The Worth Woodsea

**Good to be back in action. So, I will probably do several monthly, maybe a year or two timeskips, so we can push things along to make it to the main storyline a bit faster. So, in this chapter, a certain character is introduced, as well as another one of my creation.**

 **As always, read, enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Worth Woodsea**

 **Title Song: Hidden Land (GlitchxCity)**

* * *

Marcus and Emma quickly got used to life in Cait Shelter, in fact, the two siblings, along with Wendy, formed a team after coming back from a small job in Hargeon, repairing some houses after they got battered by a storm. It had the name, Freezing Nordic Sky.

Marcus often found himself doing a patrol in the Worth Woodsea every week, sometimes by himself, sometimes with other members of Cait Shelter. These were a way to help him get a layout of the land, and to make sure no dangerous creatures come visiting, like Vulcans.

* * *

It had been three weeks since the Cersy siblings joined, Marcus walked into the guild hall. He strolled over to the bar, and smiled to Lana, the black-haired bartender.

"Morning Marcus, where's Emma?" She asked him.

"She's doing a little meditation to help increase her magic power, she does it once every two days," Marcus explained. "Can I have the usual please?"

Lana smiled, "Already had it prepared," She chuckled, putting a full Magnolian Breakfast on the bar top, with sausage, baked beans, toast, bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs, and to wash it down, an iced tea.

As he ate, Wendy came in and leapt up to sit next to him at the bar. "Morning Marcus, Morning Lana," She beamed.

"You're chipper this morning, what's up?" Marcus asked between mouthfuls.

"I decided to take a measurement this morning, and found out I've had a growth spurt overnight," She smiled.

Now that she mentioned it, Marcus did notice she was a little taller than she was a few days ago. "That's always good to hear, I think you might be taller than Emma now," He observed.

"Marcus, I'd like you to take Wendy with you on patrol today if that's alright?" Roubaul asked, from his chair in the middle of the guildhall.

"And why?" He asked.

"Despite the fact she's been here for a few years, she's not really seen much of this forest," Roubaul said. "Conduct your usual route, but teach Wendy something on the way."

Marcus frowned, but then he gave a tiny smirk, "Sure, we'll head out after breakfast," He nodded.

* * *

"Always stay sharp, out here, acting carefree could mean life or death," Marcus said later, pushing aside a large branch for his charge. He looked around at the clearing they had entered.

"Also, while we're out, I want to help you become a better fighter, teach you a few fundamental basics of Dragon Slayer Magic," He told her.

"Ok, I'll try not to lose focus," Wendy smiled.

Marcus cleared his throat, pulling out a light pen, a magical item that can write in the air. "As you know, every Dragon and Dragon Slayer has a breath attack, you've got that down, as well as a Wing Attack, which can be helpful, but I think the best way to improve your skills is to train you in hand to hand combat."

He had written a list, which had some possible ideas for training, and combat spells. He had also written other things, like 'Improve senses of hearing and smell'.

Marcus walked over and picked up a slab of stone. He held it up before his chest and turned to Wendy, "First lesson will be to improve strength, I want you to try and break this stone with your bare hands."

Wendy gulped, glancing down at her small palms, "O-ok, I'll give it a shot," She said, clenching them into fists. With a cute battlecry, she swung at the rock. Needless to say, it didn't break, so she tried again with her other hand.

"That's it," Marcus said as she powered on, ignoring the pain her hands were in. "One of the first things Frostfall taught me was physical strength, even before I learnt any magic."

"So, what was she like?" Wendy asked, pausing to look up at his face.

"She was very kind to me and Emma, even though my sister wasn't her student, she allowed her to stay as well," Marcus smiled. "One day, she told us of how she had birthed offspring before meeting us, but both her young were killed by a dragon from another clan. A jade green one."

"That's awful," Wendy frowned.

"She told us how we reminded her of her kids," Marcus said, looking up at the sky. He sighed, before he heard a crumbling sound. Looking back at the rock, he saw that Wendy's hand had broken through, and the rock split in two.

"Great, now just keep working on increasing that strength of yours, let me see your hands," He told her, and she allowed him to. They were bruised and a tiny bit bloody, but Marcus knew a way to make them feel better. He requipped his backpack, and put it down, opening it and pulling out a bottle of a red clear liquid and a roll of bandages. "The bottle is a potion I picked up in Crocus, which can help heal wounds. It's no sky magic, but it's a good substitute." He dipped a strip of bandages in the potion, and then wrapped it around one of Wendy's hands, then did the same with the other.

"It stings a little," She winced.

"That's the potion at work, believe me, it's a good mix, I saw it fix a sword wound across the stomach like nothing, there was a scar though," Marcus told her. "Ok, I think we should have a look at your speed next."

He forged a thick pole of ice, and drew a course into the dirt, then forged a couple of obstacles with ease.

"Ok… I put together a little track for you," He said. "A small sprint, a slalom and a couple of hurdles, I'll time you, go!"

Wendy nodded, dashing down the straight lane with decent speed, she slowed a little to help her with the slalom, weaving between the posts of ice. Lastly, she gave some large leaps over the hurdles, and sprinted for the goal. However, just before the finish, her foot caught a root, and she fell flat on her face.

"Not bad, until you tripped," Marcus said, flinging a small blade of ice, which sheared and moved the root aside with startling accuracy.

"I've always been clumsy," Wendy admitted with a frown.

"Well, let's work to fix that clumsiness," Marcus told her.

The two dragon slayers trained for a couple of hours, Marcus teaching Wendy methods to help get stronger, including her magical strength as well as her physical. He took her to a cliff, that overlooked half the forest.

"Dig deep, focus on the dragon within you," Marcus said, as she prepared to unleash a spell.

"I can feel it," Wendy said.

"Good, now, I want you to intake your element," Her teacher said.

Wendy nodded, taking a big breath and sucking in the air around them. Marcus smiled, watching her gulp down air like a smoothie. "Now, do you feel that fire in your belly?" He asked her. "That raging storm?"

The blunette nodded, not wanting to disrupt her focus.

"Let it rip," Marcus said.

 **"** **Sky Dragon ROAR!"** What was unleashed was two times stronger than what she had produced against Guzma's bandits. The tornado shot into the air, clearing away clouds that were a little closer to the ground.

"Now that was the power of a dragon slayer," Marcus nodded, impressed with her power.

He was about to say more, when he smelled something out of place, "You smell that?" He asked.

Wendy paused, taking a moment to sniff the air currents, "Yeah… something is different out there today," She said, glancing out at the Worth Woodsea below them.

"Come on, let's go take a look," He said. **"Ice Make Slide!"** Slamming a fist on his open palm, he gathered icy mists in his hands, before setting them down on the edge of the cliff, and a slope made of ice formed, going to the ground.

Without waiting, he leapt down the slide, letting gravity guide his descent, the slide eventually evened out, and he flew off, landing and rolling to slow his momentum.

Wendy followed a moment later, and gave a twirl before holding her hands up and feet close together.

"I give that landing a nine point three," Marcus said.

* * *

The two walked through the forest, letting their noses guide them as they followed the unusual scent. "We're close…" Wendy noted first.

"Yeah… but where…?" Marcus looked up, and his eyes widened. Wendy's eyes followed, and she gasped loudly.

In the branches above, cradled nicely in a nest, were two eggs, one was white, with pink stripes, and the other was white with orange stripes.

"What the…?" Marcus asked.

"I wonder what bird laid those eggs," Wendy mumbled.

"I don't think they're bird eggs, I smell… fur?" Marcus looked puzzled.

"Well, shall we get them down? Maybe a bird took them back, thinking they might belong to it?" Wendy asked.

Marcus nodded, and with a mighty leap, he hopped up to the branch. "Wendy, I'm going to pass them down. Do not drop them," He told her.

"Why don't you let me handle this?" She pouted, then she started to glow. **"Swift winds that speed through the heavens!"** She chanted, a cyan coloured magic circle appearing in front of her. **"VERNIER!"**

Marcus gasped as he felt that lightness he felt last time this spell took effect. "Awesome… with this, we can grab the eggs and be back home in time for lunch," He grinned.

He took hold of the white and orange egg, while Wendy grabbed the white and pink one, the two dragon slayers nodded, and shot back towards Cait Shelter with haste.

* * *

"Hmmm… they definitely aren't any eggs I've ever seen before…" Roubaul muttered, looking at the two eggs.

"Why don't you two try incubating them, and try to hatch them?" Emma asked, glancing up from a drawing she was working on.

"That's not a bad idea," Marcus mused. "We could find out what the hell could hatch from something this big."

"I'll take the pink one, you handle the orange one?" Wendy asked.

"Sure, and let's make a friendly wager. Whoever hatches their egg first gets to tell the loser what to do for the rest of the day," He said.

Wendy gulped, wondering what he could make her do, but she nodded, "Shall we shake on it?" She asked, holding out a hand.

"Sure, now, let's get to it," Marcus said, taking his egg out of the guildhall and off back home.

Marcus pulled out a few blankets, putting them in a large basket, which he then put the egg in. "I wonder what you are…" He muttered, putting a hand on the shell.

Wendy had done a similar thing, putting her egg in the centre of a pile of pillows, then snuggling up next to it. "Please hatch soon," She smiled. "We can become best friends."

* * *

So, for the rest of the week, the two dragon slayers worked hard to hatch their eggs, eager to meet the creatures inside. They stayed close to Cait Shelter for the time, not wanting to be on a job while the eggs hatched.

Other than that, they never let the eggs out of their sights, taking them to the guildhall and to little odd jobs in the village as well, like handling crops and making clothes, furniture and other items.

Exactly one week later, Marcus walked into the guildhall, the egg in his arms, Wendy walked in next to him, pulling a little wooden cart with her egg wrapped in blankets inside.

They sat together, eating breakfast, when a loud CRACK was heard from behind them. "You heard that too right?" Marcus asked Lana, who was cleaning mugs behind the bar.

"It sounded a lot like a-" CRACK! "Yeah, that," Lana noted, putting down her mug.

"Uh… you guys?" Another member spoke up. "Look behind you!"

Both dragon slayers whirled around, seeing the eggs they had taken care of with two massive cracks across the shells.

"Whoa! They're hatching! I need blankets for whatever comes out!" Marcus gulped, rushing over to watch with excitement with Wendy, Emma put down her sketchbook to watch too.

CRACK! Another massive spiderweb of lines formed around the shells, before both burst open at the same time, revealing…

"Am I seeing things?" A member asked.

"No, I see it too," Another mumbled.

In Marcus' arms was a tiny orange kitten, with a white tail tip and ears. He quickly checked for a gender, and smiled, wrapping her in a blanket.

Wendy was holding a white kitten, and she also checked the gender, copying Marcus and wrapping her up.

"Cats? Little cats?" Emma asked, blinking.

"Whatever, you thought of a name for yours?" Marcus asked.

"I'm thinking… Carla," Wendy smiled. The cat in her arms however squirmed, and got out of her grip. A member walked over, and handed a small pink dress to Wendy, who put it on her cat friend.

The little white cat, now named Carla, then sprouted tiny wings and left the building. "What… where's she going?" Marcus asked.

"I'll follow her," Wendy said, and rushed after Carla.

Marcus turned back to his own little friend, who had opened a pair of big green eyes, looking up at him. "Hi there small one… I'm going to call you Melody," He smiled.

"Melody… ok!" The small orange feline giggled.

Marcus decided to disregard the fact that a cat could talk, and grinned, "I think we're going to be great friends Melody," He said, a warming smile on his face.

"What's a friend?" Asked Melody.

"A friend is someone you are close to, someone you're happy to be near, and someone who'll be with you forever and ever," Marcus told the small cat, taking a white little shirt and putting it over Melody's head.

"Ok, we can be friends!" Melody giggled, sprouting a pair of tiny wings of her own, and landing on his shoulder, "Best friends!"

* * *

 **Marcus: One thing I plan to do in this story is make Carla an actually nice character, not a grumpy little neko on a mission.**

 **Emma: I know, no one really likes her before Edolas, when we see actual emotion from her for once.**

 **Marcus: Tell me about it, and I really start to like her when she slowly starts accepting Happy as a friend.  
**

 **All: Next time: New members?!**


	4. Chapter 4: New Friends!

**So, time for some shoutouts which I need to make known.**

 **First, Massive thanks to TheSib who I approached with needs for an OC or two, and any veterans of mine, or his, should easily recognise a pair of names.**

 **Also, to Sundown17, I thank you for your OC, and he'll appear after the next chapter, so look forward to his appearance.**

 **Other than that, on with the show!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: New Friends?!**

 **Title Song: Treasure Town (PMD EoS OST)**

* * *

"Man, only been walking through the forest for a few minutes and I already feel like I'm back home," Marcus stretched his arms as he led the way.

"Yeah, Crocus is further than I thought," By his side was his cat friend Melody, who looked bigger than she had been when she hatched. She was wearing a black shirt and white skirt, with a blue bow on her tail.

"Yes… but let's not forget that someone wanted to walk home," Wendy remarked. She had undertaken another growth spurt, and was almost up to Marcus' shoulders, which was impressive.

"But he's right about one thing," Walking alongside Wendy was her feline friend, Carla, who wore a white shirt, and a pink and red cardigan and pink skirt. On her tail was a red ribbon.

"And what's that Carla?" Emma asked.

"We're already home," The white neko pointed out, and sure enough, the small village was already in view.

* * *

It had been three months now since Marcus and Emma joined Cait Shelter, and the income that team Freezing Nordic Sky were bringing in were a big help to the village and the guild as well, providing better accommodation for both the current members, and even some spare huts in the off chance that people could stumble by and wanted to stay.

"We're home!" Marcus called out, pushing open the doors and waving.

"Welcome back you five, how'd the job go?" Lana smiled, waving back from the bar.

"Well, a couple of pigmoles were causing trouble, but we flushed them out," Marcus shrugged. He glanced around, "Where's Master?"

"He's at a guild league conference," Lana said, putting three regular mugs and two small ones up on the bar. Marcus scooped up his iced tea and took a big swig, downing an ice cube as well. Wendy had a bubbly milkshake and Emma had a simple juice. Carla and Melody both had some tea.

"Ah… that hits the spot Lana," Marcus smiled. He glanced around, sighing as he sat down on one of the stools, taking it easy.

He stayed like this, having a conversation with Melody and Emma, when the door opened, and in walked an unfamiliar face.

He looked around twenty years old, with brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a black loose-fitting sleeveless shirt with white binding down the middle and buttons keeping it closed, loose black trousers and black trainers.

Marcus hopped down from his stool, and approached, "Can I help you there, pal?" He asked.

The stranger turned to face him, "What is this place?" He asked, looking interested.

"You're standing in the Guildhall of Cait Shelter," Lana said, now standing next to Marcus.

"A guild? All the way out here?" The young man asked. "Doubt you get all that many requests."

"Who are you friend?" Marcus asked.

"Call me Daiki, Daiki Izumi," The stranger said. "You are?"

"Marcus Cersy, this is Lana Suiren," Marcus said. He took a moment and closed his eyes. "I sense you hold a great deal of power, you're a wizard, aren't you?"

"I am, and … I think… I'd like to join this guild of yours," Daiki nodded.

"Wendy! The stamper if you will!" Marcus called over.

Wendy seemed surprised by the request, but nodded, grabbing the small stamp from the bar and tossing it to Marcus. "Where are you gonna want it? And what colour?" He asked.

Daiki smiled, and pulled down the back of his loose clothes, revealing his right shoulder blade, "Right here please, in crimson," Marcus nodded, and pressed down until the Cait Shelter emblem flashed on the handle, which he then lifted the stamper off, and a dark red emblem was in it's place.

Marcus slapped Daiki on the back, "Welcome to Cait Shelter then," He grinned.

"That's it?" He asked.

"Yup," Marcus nodded. "I'm sure the master will be thrilled when he sees we have a new member. Come on, I'll show you around."

* * *

Wendy watched the two go, and turned to Emma, "Has he always been friendly like that?" She asked.

"It's his gift. Marcus can open up to people really quickly," Emma nodded, pulling out her sketchpad and pencils. Wendy decided to glance over her shoulder, and her eyes widened, seeing a drawing of Carla and Melody being coloured in.

"Whoa…" She mumbled. "You're freakishly good you know."

Emma glanced up, and smiled. "Thanks, I've always had great attention to detail. Frostfall told me that I should take up drawing, as a past time. Ever since she had, I've drawn whenever I wasn't training, exploring or on a job."

She flicked back through the book, and sighed, Wendy glanced over, and her eyes widened again, seeing a snow-white and baby-blue, smooth-scaled dragon curled up, watching something. She had eyes that glittered like sapphires and a long tail with five icicles extended out.

"She's beautiful…" Wendy smiled sadly.

"Yeah… I finished this the day before she vanished," Emma sighed. She glanced up at the ceiling. "Even though I didn't want to learn it like Marcus… Frostfall let me stay with him, and train physically. One day though, I went and explored some nearby ruins, and found a black key."

She lowered her hand to her waist and pulled up one key, with a hammer on it. "When I showed it to Frostfall, she identified it as one of the nine obsidian gate keys, for Thor, the God of Thunder. She then suggested that I learn Celestial Spirit Magic, which I did."

"Do you have any idea where any other Obsidian keys could be?" Wendy asked.

"I honestly don't know, I picked up Hogun's key in a ruin north of Crocus, and Titania's key was thanks to pure luck," Emma said.

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"See, the only way someone could find her key was to enter the Floating Castle of Titania, and the only place someone could do it was by making a leap of faith from the cliffs over Murdock," Emma said. "The temple only shows up once every three years."

"Three years?" Wendy asked. "Wow… lucky you."

"Yup. It had all the traps you'd expect, spikes, bottomless pits, even a death ball," Emma nodded, ticking them off her fingers. "Oh yeah, and the key itself was behind a giant wall of wind, and you had to let it carry you to the other side."

Wendy's eyes kept widening, "Huh… bet that wind trampoline was fun," She said.

"Not really, I had my eyes shut, and spikes lined the ceiling, I was just praying that it would all be over quickly," Emma shrugged, going back to drawing.

* * *

"So yeah, that's the village, not much out here, but we make do with what we have," Marcus said. He and Daiki were stood on a cliff overlooking the Cait Shelter village and guild.

"Heh, what's the master like?" Daiki asked.

"He's a very wise and gentle soul," Marcus smiled. "Just don't be near him when he wants to talk and is drinking."

"Why?" Daiki asked.

"Because he forgets he has booze in his mouth sometimes when he speaks," Marcus chuckled.

"Wise huh?" Daiki laughed with him.

"Well… most of the time," Marcus grinned.

* * *

Daiki joining Cait Shelter seemed to be the start of something, as when Wendy and Emma went on a walk to the town of Clover to fetch a package for Roubaul, they just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

"You guys need to back off right now," Wendy's powerful dragon hearing picked up a furious tone. "I won't tell you again!."

Wendy turned to Emma, and nodded, rushing down an alleyway to see five thugs around two teens. A brown-haired young man was standing protectively in front of a jet-black-haired girl, who looked like she had a head injury, trickles of blood down her forehead.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Emma demanded, walking forward.

The thugs turned, and gave dark smirks, "Lookie here, a pair of young girls who strayed too far from the main streets," One grinned.

"We aren't afraid of you," Wendy pointed out.

The boy behind the thugs suddenly pointed two fingers at the closest one, **"Golden Lightning!"** He called out, a yellow magic bullet shot from his finger, hitting his target in the chest. A bolt of lightning arced across the man's body and he dropped to the floor, stunned.

The black-haired girl lashed out with a metal staff, which began change shape, **"Metal Manipulation: Lunar Reaper!"** Suddenly, a scythe blade formed on one end, and she slammed down with the blunt side on another thug.

Wendy and Emma nodded together, before rushing in, **"Sky Dragon Breakdown Fist!"** Wendy chanted, socking a wind covered fist into a thug's gut. She whirled around, wind now covering her leg. **"Sky Dragon Talon!"** She yelled, kicking him down to the ground.

 **"** **Open! Gate of the Fairy! Titania, Queen of the Fairies!"** Emma turned a key, and a woman wearing a silky white dress, with golden silk trailing down from her right shoulder to a sash on her left hip. Eight shimmering white wings sprouted behind her.

"You call Emily?" She asked.

"These guys need some discipline," Emma said. "You know what to do."

"As you wish," Titania nodded, rising above the five thugs. "Repent on your sins or face the consequences, **Heaven's Charm!"** She chanted, a pink wave of energy expanding out as she pulled her arms apart to their maximum width. The five bandits yelled and ran, not wanting anymore pain.

Wendy and Emma sighed, and high-fived, Emma then turned to Titania, "Thank you for your help," She smiled.

"Of course, Emily, call whenever you need my aid," Titania bowed, before vanishing.

"Who are you two?" Their attention was pulled by a voice, and turned to see that the young boy and girl were still there.

"I'm Wendy Marvell," The Sky Dragon slayer smiled.

"And I'm Emma Cersy, we're both from the Cait Shelter guild," Emma finished. "You are?"

"Alicia Tsuki, my friend here is Dan Hiryo," The girl said.

"Alicia, we don't need them, let's just get you to a doctor to examine that head wound," The boy frowned.

"Hold on," Wendy smiled, walking forwards. "I can heal that if it hurts," She said softly.

"Will it hurt?" The boy asked.

"Not one bit," Emma answered. "She's one of the best at what she does."

The girl winced a little, caressing her wound, "Alright… see what you can do," The boy said, backing down a little.

"Dan… there's no need to be so cautious," The girl, Alicia, told her friend, as she sat down to give Wendy a better look.

"Hmm… This'll be done in no time," She nodded, before raising her hands above the wound, channelling her trademark healing magic.

Dan watched with rare amazement as he saw Alicia's head injury seal itself, leaving no sign of damage, not even a scar. Alicia breathed with relief, and stood up.

"Amazing… the opening seems to have completely disappeared," She said.

"What were you two doing back here?" Emma asked.

"None of your business," Dan muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and frowning.

"Be nice Dan," Alicia sighed to her companion. "We're drifters, for lack of a better explanation," She began. "We've been travelling together for two years, but being on the road all the time means that life can be difficult. Dan knows a lot of helpful survival skills, but we needed money for food and medicine."

"One of those guys ran a stall in the market, said he'd pay well if we helped him with a job," Dan threw in. "But… like most people… he lied, and brought friends, they wanted to take Alicia away from me."

Wendy and Emma nodded, "Well… if you need a place to call home, Cait Shelter's doors are always open," Wendy smiled.

Dan and Alicia traded looks, "Never thought about guild life, does it pay well?" the former asked.

"The big time jobs definitely do, they're fun, and you get to visit lots of cool new places too," Emma grinned.

Dan sighed, "… We'll consider it," He muttered. "Where will we find your guild?" He asked.

"Do you have a map?" Asked Wendy.

"We do," Alicia pulled a scroll of paper from her bag, and unravelled it. Wendy took no time in pointing to one spot.

"There, south of the center of the forest, by then, you'll see chimney smoke," She said.

"Thanks," Alicia smiled. "So… maybe we'll see each other soon?" She said.

* * *

A few days later, Emma was sat on a wooden bench that she'd put up in the corner of the guild hall, up on the wall, allowing her to sit quietly. She therefore, was the first to notice the doors open, and in walked a pair of familiar faces.

Dan was wearing a Black hoodie, except for the hood itself, which was read. He wore brown shorts and fingerless gloves, and a pair of grey running boots. His light blue eyes were searching the crowd of members, looking for something.

Next to him, and looking much more cheerful than her companion, was Alicia, wearing a dark blue, short sleeved shirt with a white miniskirt at the waist, and black leggings and boots. In her right hand was her metal pole/quarterstaff thing.

Emma hopped down from her bench, and smiled at the two newcomers, "I was wondering when you might show up," She grinned.

* * *

On the far eastern coast, a golden-haired girl guided a silver haired kid through a town. "Are you sure this is the place big sis?" The small girl asked.

"Yeah, we're almost there, little sister," The blonde said. She stopped, and looked up at the wooden hall in front of them. Above the door were two words. Of which she had been wanting to see for months.

Fairy Tail.

* * *

 **Marcus: I'll give you three guesses who the two girls are at the end of this chapter.**

 **Wendy: I was wondering when they might show up.**

 **Emma: You also roped in Daiki, which was cool.**

 **Marcus: Yeah, I just found him to be a great idea for a 'new' character.**

 **All: Next Time: Do Fairies Have Tails?**


	5. Chapter 5: Do Fairies Have Tails?

**Hello to all the new readers that have joined me on this journey, I hope I do not disappoint you all!**

 **So, time to introduce my other two characters, of which my regular readers might recognise.**

 **This chapter was also difficult, as it involves all the regular cast from Fairy Tail, and although I have enjoyed every second of the show, I now need to type it all up myself.**

 **Either way, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Do Fairies Have Tails?**

 **Title Song: Fiore Oukoku - Fairy Tail OST**

* * *

 _In a land far, far away, lies the kingdom of Fiore. A small, peaceful nation of seventeen million and a place filled with magic._

 _Found in homes, bought and sold in every marketplace, for most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life._

 _For some, however, magic is an art, and they have dedicated their lives to its practice. These are the wizards._

 _Banded together into magical guilds, they plant their skills in search of fame and fortune._

 _Many of these guilds dot the landscape of Fiore, but there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest._

 _It's name is Fairy Tail._

* * *

"Hey, hold it there," A golden-blonde girl turned at the voice, and saw a man with slick, dark blue hair, wearing a white coat over a black shirt, with brown pinstripe pants. Around his neck was a large serpentine necklace, held up by a chain.

The blonde was wearing a short purple jacket over a black halter top that refuses to hide all of her chest. She also wears a black pair of tight shorts that stops just before her knees, finishing the look with black fingerless gloves and boots.

"You thinkin' of joining?" The man asked.

"We are, why stop me?" The blonde asked.

"Because… if you close your eyes and listen, you'd realise that you could be walking into a warzone," The man chuckled, and put an ear against the door. "You may wanna move aside," He warned.

The blonde had a moment to comprehend this and pull her silver-haired sister aside, before the doors burst open, a red-haired teen in armour and a white-haired teen in a rebellious outfit rolled out, locked in brutal combat.

"I'll skin you alive you perfect minded witch!" The white-haired girl growled.

"Not if I don't knock your teeth in first demon girl!" Red-hair growled back.

"What am I looking at?" The blonde asked.

"If you think that was bad, look inside," The man chuckled nervously.

"Huh?" The girl turned her head to see a fully-fledged barfight going down inside. Nearly all occupants of the hall were beating up another person.

"Is it me… or is this place just a little crazy?" The silver-haired girl asked.

She was wearing a silver shirt with a gold V down the middle, black shorts and sneakers. A gold blindfold covers her eyes and she was holding a cane.

"You said it Kione…" her sister nodded.

"Come on, I'll try and call for a ceasefire, so you can see the master," the man smiled. He walked in first.

"Guys! Can we all stop for one minute!" He yelled. However, a chair was thrown at him, and he was knocked out cold in moments.

"Some help you were…" The older sister mumbled. "Keep a tight hold of me Kione."

"Don't worry Sarah, I'll manage," Kione nodded.

The two stepped into the guildhall, and shimmied around the battle to approach the bar, where a man in a tattered brown cloak, jeans and grey boots sat, watching the fight next to a young man with blonde hair, wearing a yellow shirt, black pants and boots, a pair of headphones were on his head, and a chord connected them to a music lacrima at his belt.

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked, poking the brown-haired man on the shoulder.

Both turned, "Can we help kid?" The cloaked man asked.

"I'm looking for the Guildmaster. Is he in?" Sarah asked.

"Master Makarov is upstairs, handling some paperwork, but I assume he'll be down soon," The older man chuckled.

" _ALRIGHT YOU NOISY BRATS! SHUT UP!"_ A small man appeared on the second-floor railing, wearing a red shirt, blue pants and a grey cape.

This seemed to pull everyone to a halt, and they sighed, up-righting tables and chairs and replacing the broken ones with reserves from the basement. "Yo gramps, got someone who wants to talk," The blonde teen called up.

The small man glanced down, setting eyes on Sarah and Kione, then he leapt from the railing to a barstool, and hopped to the floor.

"How can I help you young ladies?" He asked.

"We'd like to join your guild," Sarah said. "If you'd have us."

Makarov glanced between the two girls, his eyes softening when he spotted a golden blindfold over Kione's eyes. "Of course, my dear," He smiled. "Why don't you both come with me? We'll handle it in my office," He said, pointing towards the stairs.

"Hey gramps! Who're they?" A pink haired young teen asked. He was wearing a dark blue vest that he left unzipped, white baggy pants and black sandals. A white scaly scarf was around his neck.

"Not now Natsu," Makarov sighed.

"Are they here to join?" 'Natsu' asked. "Are they strong? Fight me!" He yelled, leaping forwards with a flaming fist.

Before Makarov could think about stopping him, Sarah suddenly moved, her fist lighting up with purple light, and she slammed it into the boy's face, sending him flying into the far wall.

Sarah glared at him, "Raise a fist against my sister again, and I'll put your lights out," She snarled.

"Natsu! You idiot! Don't you realise the kid's blind?!" A black-haired teen snapped. Sarah blinked, noting that this boy was only wearing a black pair of underwear.

Natsu glanced up, and his eyes glanced at Kione. "Oh… I didn't see that…" He muttered quietly. "Sorry," he apologised, dropping to his knees and begging forgiveness.

"Just don't do it again," Sarah sighed.

With that, Makarov guided the girls upstairs and into a small room on the second floor.

* * *

When he came out, he cleared his throat, "Everyone settle down!" He called out, causing everyone below to stop what they were doing and look up. "This is a first for our guild, we have someone with a physical disability," he said, Kione appearing next to him.

"Well Erza came to the guild with one eye missing," a brown-haired teen wearing a blue crop top and brown pants.

"Kione here lost her eyes at a very young age, but has adapted, and even learnt some magic to help her in our world. So, from now on, I want you all to be very careful in your little brawls, not to accidently put her in the crossfire. If that happens, Sarah won't be pleased," Makarov explained.

"Aye Sir!" All members of the guild saluted together.

* * *

Sarah smiled at the brand new Fairy Tail mark on her lower stomach, on the left, in all it's violet glory. "Welcome to Fairy Tail," the pink haired young man from earlier grinned, sitting opposite her at the table.

"Nice to finally be here," Sarah smiled back. "There were moments when I thought we would never make it…"

"Well you're here now, that's all that matters," A smaller blue-haired girl beamed, looking up from a book.

The pink-haired boy scratched the back of his neck, "Look… uh…"

"Sarah," The blonde chuckled.

"Right. Sorry about earlier… I often let my fists think first," The boy admitted.

"That's a given," The teen in his underwear smirked, as a small blue cat clambered up onto the table, munching on a fish.

"Aye!" The cat mumbled between mouthfuls.

"Gray, your clothes?" The blunette asked.

"First off, where _are_ your clothes?" Sarah asked the teen, which caused him to glance down and frown. "Second, Natsu was it? It's alright, water under the bridge. Also, what are all your names?"

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," The pink haired boy smirked. He put a hand on the blue cat, "This is my little buddy Happy."

"Aye!" Happy replied with a grin.

"Call me Gray Fullbuster," The black-haired boy chuckled.

"I'm Levy McGarden," The little blunette smiled.

Sarah folded her arms under her developing chest, "You know, if you wanted to see strength, I'd be happy to show you a bit of my power."

Natsu seemed to glow, seeing that someone acknowledged his love for a fight, "However, let's take this outside," Sarah said.

* * *

Turned out a lot of Fairy Tail loved to see a fight, and one member, the brown-haired girl in the blue crop top started taking bets, along with Happy.

The cloaked man stepped up. "I'll act as the official of this fight," He said. "Remember, this is a sparring match, that means that you should try not to go overboard," He told them.

"You got it Gildarts," Natsu smirked.

"Roger that old man," Sarah nodded.

"If you're both ready, then begin!" Gildarts said.

Natsu immediately rushed forwards, his fist ablaze, **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He yelled.

Sarah stood still, until he got close enough. **"Void Magic: Disintegration!"** She called out, her own fist getting covered by purple, almost celestial energy. Her fist collided with his, causing a stalemate.

Natsu's other fist lit up, but Sarah decided she wasn't going to let him try, **"Void Magic: Palm Strike!"** Her other hand connected with his chest, enhanced by that purple glow of hers. The palm strike knocked him back several meters, to where he grinned at her.

"Not bad," He admitted, before taking a deep breath. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** He called out, unleashing a huge column of flames from his mouth.

 **"** **Requip!"** She yelled. A circular shield with a crest of the sun on it, forged around a red orb in the middle, appeared in her hands. She then dropped to one knee, **"Solar Wall!"** She called out, a barrier of orange energy formed around the shield, reflecting the breath attack.

"That's some shield," The black-haired teen remarked, his shirt missing again.

Kione smiled, from where she sat on the grassy bank. "It's called the Shield of Ignis. See that red orb in the middle, it's a Solar lacrima, and it's Sarah's best answer to guarding from ranged attacks."

"Impressive," The armoured red-head nodded with approval.

 **"** **Requip!"** Sarah called out again, this time, a black hammer (shaped like the tool) with a stubby handle, with a blue orb embedded in the bottom of the handle, appeared in her other hand. She smirked, **"Hammer Spark!"** before throwing it. The hammer lit up with crackling lightning, spinning like a boomerang, or a buzzsaw.

Natsu balked at the sight of such a weapon approaching him, and he quickly dodged. He watched the hammer curl around, ready to dodge it on the returning pass.

 **"** **Charging Meteor!"** He gulped, realising that Sarah was on hot approach from behind, her shield cloaked with solar flames as she bulled right into him.

He growled, **"Fire Dragon Talon!"** his leg was cloaked in flames, and he kicked Sarah in her side, sending her sprawling.

"Time to turn up the heat! **Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"** He began.

"Natsu! Have you lost it?!" The red-haired girl demanded. "You could kill her!"

 **"** **Flame Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"** He span his arms around, sending spiralling flaming tendrils towards Sarah.

"Nice try! **Ultimate Void Art! Ward of Dawn!"** Sarah grinned, a large dome appearing around her. The secret art collided with it, daring to break it down completely, but it held.

Natsu gulped as the shield dropped, Sarah looking no worse for wear. "My turn. **Ultimate Void Art!"** She gathered two large orbs of void magic in her two hands, before slamming them together. **"Nightmare Cannon!"**

A huge purple laser shot down the beach, straight towards Natsu, but Sarah changed trajectory in the last second, adjusting to just miss him.

The sheer power that she dealt out was enough to impress even Gildarts, who blinked, while the rest of the guild's jaws dropped with wide eyes, at how big her spell was. Kione just sighed, as if she had expected this.

Sarah finally let up, and sighed, "I adjusted course at the last second, just to show you that if I wanted to, I could really hurt you."

Natsu gave a nervous chuckle, "I admit defeat this time," He said, which shocked Fairy Tail even more.

"That's one of the reasons it's called Nightmare Cannon, it's more of a scare tactic really," Kione told him from where she was sat. "Sarah has never actually hit an opponent full-on with that spell."

"Gildarts could probably take it," Happy spoke up.

"Nah, I could negate it, but if I stood there and took it? That spell could hurt even me," Gildarts shook his head.

"Whoa…" The fact that Gildarts was admitting that Sarah could touch him had Natsu reeling in shock. "She's strong…"

"Look, I didn't come here to fight people really… I came here to make a living, and friends," Sarah spoke up, running a hand through her long hair.

"And I'd like to learn to control my magic as well," Kione smiled.

"You know some magic?" Gray asked her.

"Yeah, it's not that impressive though…" She sighed.

"That's how every wizard starts out," Gildarts glanced down at her. "You think I was instantly a super powerhouse just by having magic power?"

"True. If anyone could help, I'd love to increase my capabilities as a wizard," Kione admitted.

Levy sat down next to her, "I'll help you Kione! I love reading about different magic!" She grinned.

"Thanks Levy, I appreciate that," Kione turned to the little bookworm's voice, and held out a hand. Levy took it, and then gently pulled the sightless kid into a hug.

Sarah watched the interaction, before the red-haired girl from before walked towards her. "You use requip magic?" She asked.

"I do," Sarah nodded. "But I only use it to carry a handful of amazingly useful weapons."

The girl smiled, "Sorry, I'm being rude, I'm Erza Scarlet," She held out a hand, "If you want, I can help you increase the speed of your requip times, so you can keep up with faster foes."

Sarah glanced at the hand, and accepted it, "I always accept new training," She smirked.

"Be ready, because her teaching can be the stuff of nightmares," Natsu called out.

"What was that Natsu?" Erza demanded.

"Nothing ma'am!" Natsu whimpered.

Sarah blinked, then chuckled. _Somehow…_ She thought as Gray and Natsu suddenly butted heads again. _We're going to love it here._

* * *

 **Sarah: I knew we'd show up sooner or later.**

 **Marcus: Sue me, I've grown attached to your names and appearances, as well as mine and Emma's.**

 **Daiki: What about me?**

 **Marcus: Fair enough, I've come to like your character as well, so up next is the start of a small beginning 'arc' if you would, and you're a part of it.**

 **All: Next time: The Dishonoured Brawler!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Disgraced Brawler

**I am sorry for my absence folks! Since I play ranked on Rainbow 6 Seige, and the season is about to end, we've been working hard to get a good rank.**

 **Also, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet launched, and I have to admit, it is so much fun! I'm running a speedy SMG/Sword or pistol loadout, and I love the idea of never stopping to shoot.**

 **Anyhoo, back to Fairy Tail! This is the beginning of a little beginning 'arc' including a mixture of my characters and TheSib's characters.**

 **Speaking of which, Dan, Alicia, Dagger and Hyde belong to TheSib, I only own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Disgraced Brawler**

 **Title Song: Boom - P.O.D.**

* * *

"What did you find this time?" A blue haired young man asked, as a crimson-red clad young woman walked down the tunnel to their hidden base.

"Oh James, look at this," She smiled, pulling back her black cloak to reveal ruby-red hair and sapphire blue eyes. She handed him a beautiful coat of arms, fashioned from several shiny metals and lots of jewels.

"Is this some sort of family crest?" James asked.

"Yup, from the Gekido family during the Murdoch town Contest of Magic, must be important, I've had some meathead chase me for the whole month, trying to get it back."

"Wow, you really outdid yourself this time Dagger, how'd you pull this out from that bunch?"

"Uh uh, a master pickpocket never reveals her secrets," 'Dagger' giggled.

"Well the boss wants to see you, apparently he has a job that only you can pull off," James shrugged indifferently.

"Oooh! If Master Mercer wants to see me, it's usually something good," Dagger lit up as if her birthday had come early.

James watched the young woman walk deeper into the tunnel system, until she stepped out of sight. He sighed, "I hope we plan on dropping her soon. Her love for money is worse than all of ours combined, and her greed is stupid."

* * *

Draycott was a wonderful city that bordered the eastern coast, and had a lot of history, apparently, around ten years ago, the local guild, Holy Seraph, was destroyed by a member from within their own ranks. Their old guildhall still stood on the hill outside town, rotting away.

A young man sighed, as he looked around the market, hoping for anything that looked out of the ordinary. This was Hyde Gekido, a young man with bronze-red coloured hair spiked up at the back and windswept at the front. He had green eyes that carefully examined every person they came across, as if he was after a specific person.

He was a rather athletic lad, with some muscle to his teenage body, wearing a black sleeveless jacket with yellow jagged lightning designs around the side and middle. He also wore matching pants with an iron chain as a belt and a pair of metal knuckles hanging off them. He wore a pair of military combat boots that were black as well, with yellow buckles.

"I really hope that geezer wasn't lying… this is the seventh town I've been to this month," He mumbled. "That Dagger chick is really slippery, I don't want to lose her or her little thieves guild again."

He sighed, thinking back to why he was even here. Around a month ago, his family was participating in a contest of magic in Murdoch, the City of knowledge, known for it's magic libraries. Somehow, his family's crest was stolen right from under their noses, and their status, which had been one of wealth and pride, had been stripped from them and they descended almost to poverty.

He had set out on his eighteenth birthday, which was around a week after their honour was taken away, promising that he would not return home until his family crest was back in his hands, and these criminals brought to justice.

He continued to train every day in his hand-to-hand combat and his magical capabilities as well, not wanting to be caught off guard by anything or anyone ever again.

He grit his teeth, he would not let his mother, father or brother down. No he wouldn't.

"Hey!" Hyde paused, hearing an angered yell from down the street. "Bring back that diamond!"

Hyde couldn't believe it, as sprinting through the crowd was his target, in her skintight red bodysuit and black cloak, "Well, well, well," He grinned, blocking her way. "I knew I'd catch up to you again, Dagger!"

The thief skidded to a halt, frowning. "Huh, look who it is," She muttered, putting a hand on her hip. "You're one stubborn mule, you know that?" She growled.

"Well, you stole my Family crest!" Hyde snapped, lighting starting to crackle around him, his hair standing up with static.

"Are you sure you want to do this again Gekido? You've never beaten me before you know?" Dagger sighed, getting into a battle stance. Her magic power was starting to swell now.

 **"** **Icarus!"** Hyde called out, lightning jolting around his legs and arms, before he shot forwards, a fist covered in volts aimed at Dagger's face.

 **"** **Foundry Topaz!"** Dagger called out, summoning a yellow gem to her hand, before several sharp shards of rock bust out of the ground, shooting at Hyde. At the sight of magic spells being traded, the curious bystanders decided to flee.

The bronze-haired boy ducked under a few, smashing some more with his fists cloaked in lightning, leapt over more, before two shards hit him in the stomach.

 **"** **Chaos Obsidian!"** Dagger pulled out a black gemstone next, dark orbs appearing in front of her before she threw them after him while he was down.

 **"** **Photon Wall!"** Hyde called, throwing up a wall of lightning magic, which blocked the orbs.

 **"** **Raijin!"** A large axe appeared in his hands, seemed to be made of solid lightning. With a battlecry, he ran at Dagger, who weaved around the axe, before smirking.

 **"** **Unbreakable Diamond!"** She cried out, a shining diamond in her hand turning into a dagger, she then drew her own weapon, a long golden knife. She ducked under a heavy swing from Hyde, then slashed heavily down his back. His axe dissipated, his focus gone.

Hyde grit his teeth, enduring the pain, **"Ahvel!"** He called out, channelling lightning magic into his fist, slamming it into Dagger while she was leaping at him with her namesake raised.

She went shooting back into a market stall, but quickly got to her feet. **"Phantom Ruby!"** She called out, summoning a red ruby to her hand, a huge ball of fire appearing in front of her.

Hyde frowned, ready to throw up his Photon Wall again, but Dagger seemed to have something new planned. **"Transient Emerald!"** She held up another gem, this one a beautiful green emerald, and a wind tunnel appeared around her fire, as she shot it towards her foe. The wind melded perfectly with the fire, forming a terrifying, horizontal tornado of flames

Hyde's eyes widened, "Crap…" He muttered, **"Photon Wall!"** He cried out, but he realised that Dagger's attack was too strong, and his wall shattered under the strain.

He yelled in pain as the fire licked at his body, until he couldn't take it anymore, and passed out with exhaustion.

Dagger frowned, watching him collapse, she might hate him, but she didn't want him dead! **"Ethereal Sapphire!"** She chanted, a blue gem appeared in her hand, before a spray of water shot out, dowsing the flames.

"It's time I got home," She muttered, pulling out a shimmering gemstone and staring at her reflection on the surface. "Mercer's waiting on this beautiful diamond." She then pulled out another gem, and a flash burst out. When it faded, she was gone.

* * *

When Hyde awoke, it was with a jolt, and he grunted when pain lanced through his back. He then realised he was in some sort of medical place.

An elderly man with greying hair walked in, dressed in a white coat and black pants. "Easy there, Sonny, you're injured," he said, pushing gently against Hyde's chest.

"Where am I?" He asked the man.

"My clinic," The man smiled. "The name's Jayen Kett, I'm a doctor that specialises in magical wounds," He explained.

"How long am I gonna have to stay here for?" Hyde asked warily.

"Relax son, let me have a look at that slash you took across your back," Jayen told him. Hyde grunted, as the doctor examined his back, lifting the blue hospital shirt he had been wearing. "Yep, it's gonna scar no matter how much I put into this," He sighed.

"Doesn't matter to me, scars tell people that you've been on adventures," Hyde smirked lightly.

"Well, get some rest, I may not be a wizard, but even I can tell you've exhausted yourself in the last recent week. When was the last time you slept?" Jayen asked.

"I can't rest, not until I get back what was taken from my family," Hyde growled, making to sit up.

"Why? What's so important?" Doctor Kett asked.

"Sorry sir, but it's a family matter," Hyde said.

"At least make a request for some help from a guild or something, you'll drop dead if you fight without rest," Jayen sighed.

"Maybe… I had considered that, but it wouldn't be right, this is about honour pops," Hyde frowned.

"Alright, your clothes are on the chair over there, my wife made sure to repair them as best she could," Jayen smiled. "And if you are going to make a request, I've left some paper and a quil for you."

"Thanks doc, for everything," Hyde muttered.

Once the doctor left the room, the lightning wizard sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe it's time I called in some more professional help, where should I turn to though? Fairy Tail and Phantom are on the other side of the continent, and Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus are pretty far as well…"

His eyes turned to a newspaper on the dresser next to his bed, with a headline that made him curious, unfolding it, he saw it showed a cat themed building surrounded by huts and fields of crops.

The headline read; 'Cait Shelter? Where did this guild come from?' His eyes scanned down the page, and came across something that made him smirk. "Cait Shelter huh? Let's see what you're all about."

With that, he grabbed a piece of parchment and the quil, and began to write away.

* * *

Daiki Izumi's eyes carefully examined the request board for a job to take. He frowned, Cait Shelter might be increasing in popularity, but they still didn't have all that many requests.

He then saw one which seemed to stand out.

 _Freelancer Wizard asking for assistance in a family matter. Find me in Draycott's Angel Wing Inn._

 _Reward: 90 000J_

He mused his options, the reward seemed like that which would come from fighting bandits or dark wizards. He glanced around to see his choice of teammates. Emma, Wendy and Carla were out on a job, but Marcus and Melody were talking calmly with Dan and Alicia.

He walked over to the group, holding the request flier.

"Excuse me, are you currently available?" He asked.

"Sure are, I was thinking about going on a Job in a bit though," Marcus nodded.

"Dan and I are still settling in at the moment, but I think we can help out," Alicia added, Dan nodding calmly.

"Excellent, please have a look at this," Daiki set the request down on the table.

"Pretty unusual, I've never seen a request like this," Marcus muttered, reading the paper. "Whoever it is though did leave a place to meet them."

"The Angel's Wing Inn?" Alicia read.

"Probably got it's name from the days of Holy Seraph," Dan observed.

"So, Daiki, are you asking for us to come with?" Melody asked.

"Correct, would you like to join me?" Daiki asked.

"I'm game, Dan?" Alicia asked.

"I'll go wherever you go," Her friend nodded.

"Me and Melody'll go too," Marcus added.

Daiki walked up to Master Roubaul, "We are going to head off on this job," He said, showing it to the master.

"Alright, be careful, it could end up being a trap," Roubaul told them.

"We know," Marcus nodded.

With that, the four humans and one cat walked out of the Guildhall, off to prepare for their mission.

* * *

Marcus groaned as the train carriage bumped again, causing a fresh wave of nausea. His teammates all glanced over to him, and three of them feeling a bit of pity.

"I swear, you go from a badass Dragon Slayer to this in a matter of seconds, it's actually quite pathetic," Dan sighed from where he sat opposite the ice wizard.

"Shut… it… Dan…" Marcus mumbled back.

"You do need to find a way to get over it," Alicia told him. "Have you ever considered motion sickness pills?" She asked him.

"How about I try and nullify your nausea for you," Daiki offered, a Calligraphy brush slipping down out of his sleeve into his hand. He then took a deep breath.

 **"** **The bearer of this enchantment will feel no effects of motion sickness,"** He stated very clearly, drawing purple runes onto Marcus' arm.

Marcus blinked, noticing his stomach had stopped trying to leap out of his body. He smiled, "Thanks man, I owe you one," He sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Enchantment magic huh?" Dan observed.

"What's an enchantment?" Alicia asked.

"Enchantments are written rules, and can provide a huge variety of effects, such as the one Daiki just used," Melody said. "However, they're rather hard to use in battle, so are better laid as traps."

Dan frowned, "You know, not sure I've even seen your magic before, what is it? Or are enchantments your only magic?"

Daiki chuckled, "I appreciate the concern, but I can hold my own in battle, do not fret," He said.

"I don't doubt you, besides, isn't there a wizard in Fairy Tail who uses enchantment magic?" Marcus shrugged.

"Freed Justine, we grew up in the same village," Daiki nodded. "We even studied under the same master."

The team continued to talk, as they travelled to Draycott, at one point though, Marcus pulled out the job request.

 _Freelance Wizard huh? What's your story then, mystery man or woman?_ He thought. _And what could warrant our help?_

* * *

 **Marcus: It's good to be back!  
**

 **Wendy: Welcome back!**

 **Daiki: Indeed, how was your break?**

 **Marcus: It was fine, and I promise that the next update won't take as long as this one!**

 **All: Next time: The Pickpocket!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Pickpocket

**Nothing else to say, so on we go!**

 **Dagger, Hyde, Dan and Alicia belong to TheSib, I only own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Pickpocket**

 **Title Song:** **One For the Money - Escape The Fate**

* * *

Dagger gave a giggle as she slipped out of the window of an unfortunate soul who had let slip that they had a beautiful collection of gemstones. That had been too easy, she had crept onto the roof, slid open the window from outside, entered the house, located and snatched the jewels and was off out the way she came in.

By morning, she'd be long gone.

* * *

As she returned to the base of the Harlequins Thieves Guild, she thought back to how she got to where she was today.

She never knew her parents, having been orphaned on the streets at a very young age. And when you live on the streets, you must adapt to survive, so she began to steal food and provisions to make a living. Her flawless track record of not being caught once grabbed the attention of Mercer, the leader of a Thieving guild called Harlequins.

He offered her a place in their ranks, provided she uses her skills to help the guild as well as herself. And from then, she had never regretted it. She knew that thieving was wrong. Did she care? Why should she?

Her thoughts then turned to the Gekido boy from the other day. He was an amusing one. He began to chase her down after she got away with his family's coat of arms, a beautiful crest of silver, topaz and crystal.

She thought she had given him the slip in Magnolia, but he picked up her trail then. After that, he had followed her from Hargeon, Margret Town, Crocus, Cynder town and now Draycott.

He was a persistent guy, that she gave him respect for, but his stubbornness to recover the crest had put the Gekido in Draycott, which was where the Harlequins was based. What if he called for the military? Or he could turn to the magical guilds? Dagger knew her skills were good, her magic was versatile, but she doubted she could hold her own against a team of wizards.

Then there were her guildmates. They mostly fight with weapons; knives, daggers or similar bladed weapons, but there were a handful of wizards, illusionists or otherwise. They _could_ hold their own, but it was highly unlikely.

She frowned, and decided to move towards the train station, maybe she could spot a wizard team arriving?

* * *

Daiki stepped off the train, following Marcus and the others, "Anyone been to Draycott before?" Dan asked.

"Once, a few years ago, Holy Seraph had been around back then," Daiki nodded. He thought back to then, "I had been thinking of joining them, but I guess I was not ready for guild life yet."

"Such a shame they were wiped out, so many powerful wizards died defending their guild," Alicia sighed.

"It also begs the question, who the hell wiped them out, if Holy Seraph was strong, that meant that the dark guild or opposing faction had to be stronger," Dan reminded her, causing the girl to shiver.

Marcus pulled out the job request again, "Guess we need to find this guy, Angel Wing Inn anyone?" He said, glancing around.

"We could always ask for directions?" Alicia offered.

"I shall handle it," Daiki nodded, turning to a station employee. "Excuse me, do you know where the Angel Wing Inn could be?" He asked.

"Of course," The man smiled, directing the enchanter to a map. "You'll want to head just north of the fountain in the market, it's a magnificent little bar," he told Daiki.

"Thank you very much sir," Daiki bowed politely to the man, before returning to his guildmates.

"North of the market fountain, shall we get going?" He asked.

Marcus pulled out a compass, crafted with silver and a hand of crystal and ruby. "North is that way," He muttered.

"I could have told you that just by breathing," Alicia reminded him.

"Yeah, but you gotta appreciate the classics," Marcus said, calmly tossing his compass into the air before catching and pocketing it.

The gang walked along the streets, "It's gotta be around here somewhere," Melody muttered.

Marcus shouldered past a pair of citizens, "We are in the right market, right?" He asked. He frowned, suddenly realising a change in weight of one of his pockets.

"Someone has a sleight of hand…" He growled, noticing his compass was gone. He glanced around, and his eyes settled on a red-haired woman in a pink sundress, with a straw sun hat on top of her long red hair, she was also wearing black sleeves and leggings. She couldn't be the thief… right?

He got his answer when she pulled up a silver compass, the ruby needle shimmering in the sun.

"You there! Return what isn't yours!" He called out.

The girl glanced back, and her eyes widened, "You'll have to catch me first!" She called back.

But Marcus had already picked up her scent and nodded to his team. "Dan, Alicia, follow her, Daiki, go meet with our contact, Melody, we're going after her from above," He said.

Everyone nodded, setting to action. Alicia immediately sprinted after the redhead, while Dan headed for a parallel street, Melody gripped Marcus' shirt, heaving him up onto the rooftops.

Marcus kept his eye on the girl, who kept running below, Alicia on her heels, Dan always aiming to flank the thief from a side-street or alleyway.

Eventually, the girl turned into an alley, thinking Dan hadn't caught up, but he timed it perfectly, coming from the other end of the alley, **"Golden Lightning!"** He called, firing three yellow magic bullets which she managed to dodge as Alicia entered from the opposite end, deflecting the shots with a few spins of her staff. The thief turned again, into a dead end, the trap had been sprung perfectly.

Marcus hopped down into the alley, while Alicia pulled her quarterstaff from her back, Dan behind her and ready to cover. **"Ice Make: Prison Cell!"** He called, a cage of ice slamming down around her.

"Give back my compass and we'll let you go free," Marcus said.

"But don't, I've been itching to fight someone for a few days now," Dan spoke up.

"Choose now," Alicia said, spinning her staff, it taking the form of her Lunar Reaper scythe form.

The girl frowned, clearly weighing her options. "Look, if you somehow escape, I'll track you down until you have nowhere left to run," Marcus warned her.

"Why are you being so angry? It's just a pretty compass," The girl said.

"That compass is all I have left of my parents, my real parents, if you don't return it, then there will be hell to pay," Marcus told her.

 **"** **Phantom Ruby!"** A red ruby appeared in her hand, before fire quickly melted the ice. "That's all I needed to know, toodles!" She smiled, a crystal appearing in her hand. **"Brilliant Crystal!"** A bright flash repulsed from the gem, blinding everyone there. When the light faded, she was gone.

Marcus growled, "She. Will. _Pay_."

Alicia flinched a little at his fury, and Dan put an arm in front of her. Marcus sighed, "Let's go track down Daiki and our client."

* * *

When his friends took off after the thief, Daiki walked into the tavern, heading up to the owner, who was cleaning a glass. "Excuse me, I'm meant to be meeting someone here. Know anyone who might be waiting for a wizard?"

The man grunted, pointing to a young man in the corner of the tavern.

Daiki nodded, and walked over. "Excuse me, are you the client who sent this request?" He asked, placing the job on the table.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" The guy asked.

"I'm Daiki Izumi, I'm one of the wizards who responded to it," The enchanter said.

"One of them? Where's your team?" Asked the wizard.

"A pickpocket made off with a prized possession of one of my friends, they gave chase," Daiki explained.

"A pickpocket huh?" The wizard muttered. "Red hair?"

"Bright red," Daiki nodded.

"That's the primary target, come on, let's go catch up," he said. As he did, he paused, "My name's Hyde Gekido, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Hyde, now let's get moving," Daiki smiled. He pulled out his calligraphy brush. **"This enchantment will track the position of the last enchantment used!"** He said, writing away.

The purple runes began to form arrows, and Daiki gave a small smirk, "Follow me, we should find my friends in no time."

* * *

They found Marcus seething when they met up again, "What happened with the thief?" Daiki asked.

"She got away," Alicia told him.

"Unfortunate, this is Hyde Gekido, our client," Daiki said, gesturing to his accomplice. "Hyde, allow me to introduce my guildmates."

"First is Dan, bullet wizard and gunslinger," Dan gave Hyde a nod, to which he returned.

"Next to him is his best friend, Alicia, Metal Manipulator," Alicia gave a warm smile and a wave.

"The one brooding over there is Marcus, Ice wizard," Marcus glanced up from his thoughts, and gave a casual salute.

"And his feline partner, Melody," Melody paused the devouring of her cotton candy to wave, she then quickly returned to her snack.

"A pleasure to meet all of you," Hyde smiled. He glanced at Marcus, "You lose something to her greedy paws too?" he asked.

"I did, a beautiful compass made by my father, it was the last thing he made before he died," Marcus sighed. "I need to get it back."

"So, what's the story, why are you chasing this chick?" Dan asked.

"She stole something important to me and my family, and I've been following a trail of crime she left, until she came to this town," Hyde explained. "She keeps coming back here too, I see her getting off the train, under the guise of an innocent civilian."

"She was in that disguise when we spotted her earlier," Melody piped up. "Sundress, hat, but clearly a bodysuit underneath."

"And red hair," Alicia added. "Bright, red hair."

"That's her," Hyde nodded.

Marcus stood up, "Right, it took a moment, but I've locked onto her scent," He said.

"Scent?" Hyde asked.

"Yeah. He's got a nose like a bloodhound, it's kinda creepy sometimes," Dan shrugged.

"I'll explain on the way," Daiki told him. "Lead the way Marcus."

* * *

 **Marcus: Next chapter will bring the real fighting, don't worry.**

 **Daiki: Good, I think it is time my true magic is revealed.**

 **Dan: About time, I want to shoot something.**

 **Alicia: Yay.**

 **All: Next time: Judgement!**


	8. Chapter 8: Judgement

**Sorry this took a while to upload! The UK has been attacked by Storm Emma, a snowstorm, and then a week later, another downfall of snow! In England! We've had some issues because of the snow. The recycling trucks couldn't make it through, neither could the local shop resupply, so we were low on essentials for a bit, my mum barely got out of our road to go to work.**

 **The only upside of all this was watching our dog's first reaction to snow, he looked so confused!**

 **Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Judgement**

 **Title Song: Park Avenue (Sonic Forces OST)**

* * *

Dagger walked into her guild hideout, handing the diamond to James, then walked deeper into the base. She spotted an older man with a buzzcut counting some cash behind a desk. He looked up however when she approached.

"Dagger, where've you been?" He asked.

"A team of wizards arrived in town," She told him, "I was keeping an eye out to see who came to town."

"Wizards? Why are wizards in Draycott?" The man asked.

"A stubborn mule told them about the theft I made a while back," Dagger frowned. "Mercer, we should evacuate."

"No. We're ready to show Fiore that we're an actual guild, if a group of wizards want to take out our guild, then we'll accept the challenge." He chuckled.

Dagger frowned, but it increased when two other members walked up behind her. One was a male, with long brown hair, the other was a female, also with brown hair, both were wearing a black shirt with two bandoliers crossed over their chests, they also wore black pants and boots, the male had sleeves and black gloves, the female didn't have sleeves, but still wore grey gloves.

"Huh? Bryn? Sapphire?" She asked.

"You know… I wanted to ask… how long did you think you could hide the fact you've been stealing from our vaults for months?" Mercer asked.

Dagger's eyes widened, _How did he find out?_ She thought.

"You must think I'm an idiot. I cast a magic circle, one which tells me if anyone unauthorized enters the vault," Mercer laughed. His smirk turned into a frown. "Take her outside. Make it quick."

Bryn and Sapphire grabbed her by the arms, their grip strong as vices, "Come now little bird," Sapphire said.

"Sorry Lass, but you know the rules more than anyone else here," Bryn told her. Both dragged her by her arms and hauled her out of their hideout.

"Any last words?" Sapphire asked, drawing a dagger.

"That I feel like I did my best to live, despite it being against the law," Dagger sighed.

"Well said," Bryn nodded. "Die with your head held high."

As Sapphire brought the dagger down, time seemed to slow, and Dagger blinked when a fist of lightning suddenly slammed into her executioner's side, sending her sprawling.

"It seems that luck is on your side today," Her rescuer said. Dagger glanced up, and she gasped when she saw it was Hyde Gekido that saved her. "Yeah, I never thought I would be the one to save you either."

"Hey! Who are you?" Bryn asked.

"With us," Dagger's eyes widened when she saw the group of wizards she robbed earlier standing there.

Bryn made a move to pull out his sword, "I wouldn't," One of the wizards said, his fingers raised, with blue energy at the tips.

The thief sighed, and dropped his sword, Hyde then knocked his lights out with a punch to the back of the head.

Hyde turned to Dagger, "You wanna explain why you were about to be executed?"

Dagger weighed her options, she had two options, run and never look back, or make a difference.

"If you explain, we could offer you protection," Daiki said.

So Dagger did. She explained why they were about to kill her, why she stole from her own guild. "Truth is… I'm just a greedy girl. I took the jewel from the vault… and kept it hidden, I just don't know what to do with it all."

"So, where's my compass?" Marcus asked.

"And my family's crest?" Hyde added.

"In there," Dagger gestured with her head behind her.

"Fitting place for a hideout, Holy Seraph had a big guildhall, room for plenty of rabble and scum," Dan observed.

Marcus turned to the redhead, "Here is how things are going to go down. You are going to tell us as much as you can. Layout, numbers, threats, leading figures."

Dagger nodded, "I understand," She said. She glanced at the mark on her cloak, the one of a mask, with half a happy and sad face on. "Besides, it's not like I'm one of them anymore," she glared, tearing off the emblem completely.

Daiki pulled out a light pen, and he handed it to her. "Ok, we rebuilt what we could, but there a lot of openings…"

* * *

"… Mercer is the master, he's a master of shadow magic, I've not seen him lose a fight once," Dagger finished.

"Ok, I have a plan. Dan, you take to the roof, use that range of yours to provide some cover fire, Melody, you spot for him." Daiki said. Dan nodded, and Melody saluted, gripping Dan by his shirt and lifting him into the air.

"Marcus, you and Alicia storm the front door, keep the rabble focused on you," Daiki continued.

"Don't worry, I've been wanting a good scrap all day," Marcus chuckled.

"We can handle it," Alicia added. The two wizards took off to get in position.

"Hyde, Dagger, we are going through the wall at the rear of the building," Daiki said.

* * *

A moment later, everyone was in position. Marcus turned to Alicia. "Do you want the honours, or shall I?"

Alicia's answer was the following. **"Metal Manipulation: Berserk Destroyer!"** She called, her quarterstaff turning into a mean double-bladed axe, which she then slammed through the door.

"Whoa!"

"What just happened?"

"Someone just bashed in our front door!"

The dust settled, and Marcus stood just before Alicia, "This little operation ends today!" He called out. "Cait Shelter has come calling!"

"It's just one guy and a girl, get 'em!" A thief yelled, pulling out a sword.

"Engage!" Marcus called, before he took a stance, a fist on his open palm, **"Ice Make Lance!"** He yelled, firing several spears of ice at several targets at once.

Behind him, Alicia lifted her axe, **"Metal Manipulation: Weight Decrease!"** She called, as several thugs and thieves charged her, weapons raised. With ease, she swung her weapon around, slamming the side into all her attackers at once, then releasing them, sending them flying into the back wall of the main hall.

Above, Dan frowned, he needed some more precise action. **"Requip: Vigilant Revolver!"** He said, summoning a six-shooter revolver which was black, with a brown handle and hammer.

 **"** **Bullet Magic: Azure Spear!"** He then said, taking aim and downing three goons with lightning fast blue magic bullets.

"Look out! Archer aiming right at you!" Melody pointed.

"I see him, **Bullet Magic: Crimson Bomber!"** A red bullet flew from his revolver, hitting the ground under the archer's feet, sending him flying with a small explosion.

"Nice shot!" Melody complimented him.

Marcus clobbered a thug in the head, then ducked under a swing from a sword wielder. **"Ice Make Sword!"** He called, conjuring up a sword of ice, and blocking the next swipe, and then kneeing the man in the gut, making him drop his sword and drop in pain.

Nearby, Alicia saw several more bandits entering the main hall from a side door. **"Metal Manipulation: Twin Thruster!"** Her axe shifted into a double ended spear, which then separated down the middle, turning her weapon into two short spears, which she descended on the newcomers with scary precision, disabling three with quick slices, thrust at another, and finished by slamming both flat sides of her weapons against one man's head.

Dan decided to stand, "I think I'm going in, you watch the fireworks from up here," He said. **"Bullet Magic: Emerald Line!"** Firing a green bullet from his weapon, it hit the back wall, creating a green line that stayed there.

Dan then took the other end, and jammed it against the wall above his head, gripping his revolver in both hands, he hooked it around the line, and slid down, dropping to stand back to back with Alicia.

"I hope that you're managing," He said, firing several Azure Spears at some thieves.

"I'm doing just fine," Alicia chuckled, returning her spear to a single form, and reverting it to her staff to twirl and block three arrows, then extending the length of her weapon to knock them out in a single swing.

"How many people are there in this stupid guild?" Marcus said, backing up and ducking under a sword, slashing across his assailant's chest with a hand of icy claws.

"Daiki should begin phase two any second," Melody reminded them, floating above the three wizards, keeping an eye out for the threats.

* * *

"Sounds like they're having a blast in the front," Hyde muttered, glancing around to make sure they wouldn't be alerted. He glanced up, noticing that it was starting to rain, and he grinned. The rain was his best friend when it came to fights.

"Ok, I think we're pretty much in position," Dagger said. "I never thought I'd be attacking my own guild."

" _Former guild_. Remember, they just tried to kill you," Hyde pointed out.

 _He makes a good point_. Dagger thought.

"Right, who wants the honours?" She asked.

Hyde cracked his knuckles, "I thought you'd never ask," He laughed. Lightning crackled around his hands. **"Ahvel!"** He roared, slamming an electrified fist into the stone wall, easily causing it to collapse and create a decent sized hole.

"Come on, Mercer's office is this way," Dagger told her allies, taking off down a corridor, with Daiki and Hyde right behind her.

* * *

It didn't take long before they encountered their first opponents.

"Hey Dagger, I expected you to be mad at us, but to go to wizards and attack us?" A blue haired young man chuckled. "You must have a death wish."

"James," Dagger folded her arms. "You knew the whole time?"

"Are you kidding me? _everyone_ knew!" James told her.

"Are you done messing with her? I kinda want to kill them now," Behind the three, a purple haired woman said.

"Jessie…" Dagger frowned. This was bad, Jessie and James were a pair of the few wizards in the guild, and they were almost invincible when together.

"You seem to be forgetting a simple factor though," Daiki spoke up, turning to Jessie.

"You're outnumbered," Hyde said, facing James.

"Oh really?" With a snap of her fingers, another man walked out next to her.

Dagger shrunk back in fear as a man with a black buzz cut for hair, wearing a black suit. "Giovanni…" She gulped.

"Alright then, I guess we'll handle these guys before going after this Mercer creep," Hyde said. He glanced at Daiki, "You ready to rock?"

Daiki pulled out his calligraphy brush, "Indeed, let's paint a picture of battle!" He said.

"Take them," Giovanni told the two others of the thieves' guild.

"Yes sir," Both nodded.

Hyde was suddenly knocked off his feet, James appearing behind him, the Lightning wizard quickly was on his feet, fists raised.

"Speed magic huh? You'll be fun to fight!" He grinned.

Daiki watched Jessie make some movements with her hands, **"Fire Slicer!"** a whip of fire suddenly shot from her hand, and Daiki had to react extremely quickly.

 **"** **Talisman Shield!"** He called, drawing a speedy symbol in the air with his paintbrush, a domed shield forming around him, blocking the strike.

He then lowered the shield and countered, **"Talisman Star!"** Another symbol was drawn by his brush, which he then threw like a shuriken at Jessie.

She winced as the spell sliced past her, almost shearing off some of her hair, **"Fire Nebula!"** She called out, firing a column of flames at him, which he was unable to react in time this time, and grit his teeth as the flames licked at his flesh and clothing.

"Give up kid, we've been at this magic stuff since we were younger than your age!" Jessie laughed.

"Really? Then I am not impressed!" Daiki said, suddenly throwing another Talisman Star at her, cutting right down the middle of the fire. She yelped as the spell cut at her skin, and she glared at the script wizard.

Daiki winced at the burns he had experienced, but started to draw another symbol, **"Talisman of Light!"** He yelled, firing the symbol with a wave of his brush. It smacked against her body, before glowing and exploding.

Jessie yelled with pain, but got back to her feet, "You'll pay for that kid!" She snarled.

 **"** **Icarus!"** Hyde yelled, his speed being increased by the lightning on his feet, then he swung at James, but the blue haired wizard dashed to the left, before his feet glowed purple.

 **"** **Speed Kick!"** He cried out, several speedy kicks hammering down on Hyde. He then leapt back.

 **"** **Falcon Hammer!"** James called out, leaping into the air and coming down with a powerful axe kick which Hyde blocked with his arms.

"Oh yeah, you're strong, but you're fighting for the wrong side of society!" The lightning wizard told him. "Why don't you guys take a leaf from Dagger's book and actually do something with your lives?"

His fists sparked, coming to life with electricity. **"Ahvel!"** He yelled, slamming his lightning fist into James' stomach, sending him crashing into the wall.

Dagger paused, listening to Hyde's words, he was right, she had been on the wrong side of society, and now, she had to redeem herself or pay the price. So, with her fists clenched, she glared at Giovanni.

"You plan to take me on? You've never beaten me before, only Mercer has beaten me," The older man chuckled.

"I may not have the experience that you do, but I'll gladly take you down if it means I have a crack at Mercer," Dagger told him.

"Very well, you leave me with no choice," Giovanni sighed. **"Rock Tomb!"** He called out, stomping down on the ground, four massive boulders coming out of the floor, and hurtled straight at Dagger.

 **"** **Foundry Topaz!"** Dagger countered, a yellow gem appearing in her hand, manifesting several of her own projectiles to throw back, causing the two attacks to cancel out.

" **Mud Shot!"** Giovanni fired a compressed beam of earth and muddy water at her, which she dodged by leaping to the side.

 **"** **Chaos Obsidian!"** Dagger called out, dodging her foe's attack before firing a beam of dark energy at him, hitting him in the chest and slamming him into the wall.

Giovanni got back to his feet, "You've been practicing," He observed, rolling a crick out of his shoulder.

"Well, yeah, I had to prepare myself to handle wizards, no matter their affiliation," Dagger snarked. A blue gem appeared in her left hand, and a different yellow gem appeared in her other. **"Ethereal Sapphire, Flashing Amber fuse together!"** She chanted, first, a column of compressed water shot from her left hand, then, a bolt of lightning zapped along the water, electrifying the current.

"You've learnt some new tricks as well," Giovanni chuckled. **"Stone Edge!"** He said, stamping again, causing spears of stone to shoot up out of the ground.

Dagger grunted, but kept the spell up, her attack drilling through the rocks steadily, "You won't win!" She yelled, pouring in a bit more power. Giovanni's eyes widened, and he fired another rock tomb, causing her to lose focus.

Daiki ducked under rapidly shot fireballs, **"Talisman Star!"** He called, throwing another symbol that sliced at Jessie's arm, causing her to grab it with a yelp.

Daiki then held out his arms, **"Thousand Spells!"** Hundreds of red sealing papers flowed from his sleeves, slapping onto her body, wrapping around her arms and legs, binding her limbs to her body.

"Surrender," Daiki said, pointing his brush at her, ready to end this.

"Fine! But you won't beat Mercer, or the others for that matter!" Jessie growled.

"Good to know," Daiki said, wrapping up her head, except for her nose to let her breathe.

He turned, seeing Hyde barely keeping up with James. "I don't know why you're still trying to hit me, I'm far too fast for you brat!" the blue haired man laughed.

"Fast or not, let's see if you can dodge this one!" Hyde said, lightning starting to cover his hands. **"Deadshot!"** He yelled, firing a large spark that started to follow James, no matter where he went.

"Why's it chasing me?" he asked.

"Because Deadshot doesn't miss if it's used in the rain!" Hyde said. "And during our fights, the roof got blown clean off!"

James frowned, "Surrender and I'll make it stop," Hyde told him. The blue haired wizard sighed and started to slow.

Which meant that the bolt lanced into his back, sending a jolt through his body, causing it to seize up, causing him to crash and lie on the ground.

"Sorry bub, but you won't be moving for a while, it'll give you a chance to re-think your life," Hyde said. He glanced over, to see Dagger get launched into the air by a rock spike, she flipped back with the momentum, firing a pillar of fire from red gems in both hands.

Giovanni blocked it with four large rocks floating in front of him, but he was surprised when a sudden gust of wind blew through the rock shield, sending him flying into the wall behind him.

He grit his teeth, and frowned, as Dagger was suddenly in front of him. Wordlessly, a white gem appeared in her hand, which then formed a dagger.

"Yield!" She roared at him, putting the blade against his neck. "Don't make me do this!"

Giovanni glanced around, and seeing Hyde and Daiki walking up behind Dagger. He nodded.

"Good man," Dagger said, punching him in the gut, knocking him out with a follow-up uppercut to the chin.

"Efficient," Daiki nodded with approval. "This battle was a good warmup. Now, let us find Mercer," He said.

"Right, this way," Dagger nodded, leading the way.

* * *

 **Marcus: I felt right at home with all that snow, now I'm back and ready to rumble!**

 **Sarah: Daiki's magic is awesome!**

 **Emma: Hyde and Dagger are awesome too!**

 **Daiki: Thanks, but I think that Dan and Alicia have the most interesting magics.**

 **All: next time: Starting Afresh!**


	9. Chapter 9: Starting Afresh!

**Another chapter down! This chapter will bring the Harlequins Arc to a close, and that means that next chapter will be something different!**

 **Dan, Alicia, Dagger and Hyde are property of TheSib! I only own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Starting Afresh**

 **Title Song: Invoke Magic (Fairy Tail OST)**

* * *

Mercer Frey glanced around, hearing another explosion. "What the hell is going on out there?" He asked.

A member ran in, "Master Mercer, a group of guild wizards are attacking!" He reported.

"How many?" Mercer asked.

"Two guys and a girl are attacking the front, and they have a weird little cat too. Three more are coming from the rear, two guys, led by Dagger," The man reported.

"She'll be going to the vault, I'm going to go hold the line there, send the Phantom Thieves to reinforce the front," Mercer instructed the member, who nodded, leaving.

When the man left, Mercer growled. "So… Dagger escaped, did she? Well, now I get to kill her myself."

* * *

 **"** **Ice make Shurikens!"** Marcus yelled, throwing several icy throwing stars that struck down several grunts.

"So you like the cold do you?! Let's see you beat this! **Arctic Breaker!"** A thief said, unleashing a hail of massive boulders of ice.

Marcus just grinned, taking the attack with no care, "Shouldn't have done that," Dan muttered, a small smirk on his face.

A loud slurping noise was then heard, and the icy projectiles become an icy stream that was going down Marcus' throat. He then wiped his mouth, giving a grin.

"Heck, now there's a blizzard in my belly!" He smirked.

"Don't tell me… it can't be _him_ ," The wizard gulped.

"Yeah! The white coat with torn shoulders, that mark on his arm, it's him! Kaiser of the Cold Marcus!" Another thief called out.

Marcus' eyebrow rose, he had a moniker? Like Salamander, Black Steel, Titania and those other well-known wizards? Not that he would complain, it sounded badass. "Yup, that's me! **Ice Dragon… ROAR!"** He yelled, releasing his signature breath attack, wiping out lots of the thieves with a single blast.

Dan stood back to back with him and twirled his revolver. **"Bullet Magic: Violet Splitter!"** He called out, fanning the hammer, firing six shots in a rapid series, in a cone around him. Each of the purple bullets that were shot out split five times, piercing dozens more grunts coming the other way.

A group of archers were about to fire at them from on a balcony, but they hadn't counted on Alicia vaulting up to their level. **"Metal Manipulation: Lunar Reaper!"** She said, her staff becoming her favourite scythe form, which she then charged at the archers, going into a horizontal spin, clobbering and cutting at the enemy with no remorse.

Another single archer was about to fire at her, but suddenly, a rock fell down, smashing against the man's head. Melody dusted her hands off, nodding with satisfaction of her work.

The four wizards regrouped in the middle of the room. "We've rounded up quite the haul of scum and villainy here," Marcus said.

"Yeah, wonder if team B finished their task," Alicia pondered.

"Hey, I'm sure they're fine," Dan told her. He then tensed, feeling a swell of power, as did Marcus.

"Move!" Marcus called, leaping back, as Dan grabbed Alicia, pulling her away with him. A moment later, iron spikes lanced out of the ground.

Dan released Alicia, as he came under fire from a storm of magic bullets.

Marcus blinked, but dodged to the left as a blade suddenly sliced through where he was a second ago.

"We got company…" He said.

"Very impressive Kitty cats, you detected our ambush, so now we must fight on even grounds," A burly man wearing a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and boots, grey bracers on his arms and a headband around his head spoke first. "The name's Lionheart."

"The chick is mine," A man wearing red samurai themed armour, holding a katana in his hands, "Call me Klein." Alicia twirled her staff, not impressed.

"I saw that hotshot shooting cowboy, that fancy six-shooter is mine," The only woman of this group of three said, wearing a white tube top that didn't hide much of her chest, a green pair of short shorts and big black boots. In her hands was a powerful looking rifle. "I'm called Wraith."

"Then dragon boy is mine," Lionheart said. **"Iron Make Cannons!"** Several cannons which you'd see on a ship forged out of metal next to him, before they began firing heavy cannonballs at Marcus.

"No thanks, **Ice Make Hammer!"** Marcus yelled, smashing back the cannonballs with a massive hammer of ice.

"Interesting, you use maker magic as well? Let's see if your ice can hold up to my iron! **Iron Make Needle Hammer!"** From his hands came a cannonball of iron with barbaric spikes covering it. Marcus quickly dodged to the left, causing the projectile to shoot past him.

"This might be fun after all," He mumbled. **"Ice Dragon Spearhead!"** Covering himself in ice as he leapt towards Lionheart, the ice forming a large spear, the sharp end pointed at his foe.

 **"** **Iron Make Wall!"** A metal wall rose between them, and Marcus slammed into it, but what Lionheart hadn't anticipated was that he shot right through it, hitting him in the gut.

"It'll take a lot more than a flimsy piece of metal to stop me!" Marcus told him.

"Then I'll just have to try harder," Lionheart sneered.

* * *

Alicia blocked the rapid strikes that Klein rained down on him with his katana, her metal staff becoming a blur as she spun it around.

 **"** **Sword Technique: Zekku!"** Klein said, his sword lighting up with red energy, he slashed across in front, causing an energy wave to pulse out in front of him.

 **"** **Metal Manipulation: Berserk Destroyer!"** Alicia turned her pole into an axe, and she slammed it down in front of her, causing a spike of rock to come up and split the wave in two, missing her completely.

She then subtly changed the weight of her axe, making it lighter, so when Klein came charging back in with his blade, she could counter, blow for blow.

As she defended, she observed her foe's attack pattern, his blade, his stance, his breathing patterns. **"Metal Manipulation: Lunar Reaper!"** She called out, her axe shifting into her scythe, which she then caught Klein's blade under her own. "Gotcha."

With a yank, she heaved his katana out of his hands, and it went flying off into the rubble around the room, "My katana!" Klein said, growling at the Cait Shelter wizard.

"Want to give up?" She asked him.

A glow appeared in Klein's hands, and a different weapon appeared in his hands. This time it was a naginata, a long pole weapon with a short, curved blade at one end.

"Right, of course you have more…" Alicia sighed, before moving back in to clash again.

* * *

Dan immediately overturned a surviving table, as Wraith opened fire with her weapon, heavy magic bullets hitting the table and flying around him.

He heard her pause, maybe to reload, so he held a hand out, **"Bullet Magic: Void Splitter!"** He called, firing five purple bolts at once, causing her to take cover, or risk being peppered with holes.

Dan then took the chance to summon a second revolver that looked like the first to his other hand, then, he wordlessly prepared to unleash a salvo of Azure Spears.

 **"** **Guns Magic: Rapid Fire!"** Wraith's voice came from a different direction, causing him to leap to the right as hundreds of bullets rained down on him again. He grit his teeth as some hit him, stinging and draining his stamina little by little.

 **"** **Bullet Magic: Azure Spear!"** Dan said, firing his salvo of blue rounds, which lanced through her own onslaught to hit her in her arms and legs, throwing her aim off.

He then holstered one revolver on his belt, **"Crimson Bomber!"** He then yelled, firing five red shots that exploded on impact with the ground around Wraith's feet, sending her flying back with pain.

"Believe me, I'm the best gunner this side of Fiore, and I know who the best are on the other side, you're pathetic compared to them, or me," Dan said, taking the time to reload his pistols with fresh lacrima charges. "Give up."

"Mercer promised to share the vault's fortunes with us if we won, we can't give up," Wraith said, gathering up her rifle again.

"Very well…" Dan sighed. **"Bullet Magic: Black Mist!"** Firing two black coloured bullets from his revolvers, when they hit the ground, they created a smoke screen that enveloped the two gunfighters. "Let's see if you can hit what you can't see."

* * *

Marcus yelled in pain as iron shavings smashed against his skin, causing thousands of tiny cuts. Lionheart walked towards him, tossing a minigun he had created with his magic away.

"What's your reason to attack us wizard?" The iron maker asked.

"Look, I could have completely missed this little operation of yours, but one of you idiots decided to take a prized possession," Marcus grunted, getting up onto a knee. "And I have a very strong sense of justice. Nothing in that vault belongs to you, and I intend to put it into the hands of someone who actually plans to use it… or give it back."

Lionheart chuckled, "Really, well kitty cat, I hate to break this to you, but you've lost, I'm stronger than you, smarter than you, and richer than you as well."

"Wealth has nothing to do with this fight between you and me," Marcus said. "And who gave you the bright idea that you're stronger than me?"

Lionheart laughed, "Well, I'm standing up, while you're at my mercy," He said.

"I beg to differ. **Ice Dragon Frozen ROAR!"** At point blank range, he couldn't miss. A compressed hailstorm smashed into Lionheart's chest. The impact sent him reeling, and Marcus was quick to get back to his feet.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Claw!"** Marcus' fingers grew icy claws which raked across the thieving wizard's stomach, leaving several gashes.

 **"** **Ice Dragon Talon!"** He then followed up with a kick covered in ice, which further winded Lionheart as he tried to get back to his feet.

"Game over," Marcus told him. "Don't get back up again." Lionheart just whimpered.

* * *

Alicia was finding Klein's armoury of requip weapons to be rather annoying, but she thought she wasn't all that different with her own weapon changes.

 **"** **Metal Manipulation: Twin Piercer!"** She called out, her weapon splitting into it's two shortspears form. She went on the offence, slashing and stabbing where she could, refusing to let Klein get an opening. He attempted to block with his naginata, but she was being too strong for the polearm, and with a powerful downwards swing from both weapons, his was cut into three pieces. Then, before he could summon another weapon, she kicked him in the gut, and then threw both spears at him, pinning him by his armour to the stone wall behind him.

"Give up," She told him, holding her left arm in a fist. "I don't want to give more pain out."

Klein nodded, and slouched in defeat.

* * *

Dan stood still as the smoke hung around him, both his weapons were drawn, and he had his eyes closed, listening for the slightest change in his surroundings.

He paused, hearing a soft footfall in the direction to the right of him. _A little closer._ He thought, hearing her footsteps slowly getting closer. When he gauged it to be close enough, he whirled around, **"Bullet Magic: Golden Lightning!"** He said, firing twelve shots of his stunning bullets directly at her.

She yelped, unable to dodge, and hit the floor in a heap, Dan walked out of the now-clearing smoke. "Idiot, you fell for it, hook, line and sinker."

"I can't move my body!" Wraith complained. "What'd you do to me?"

"Golden Lightning is a stunner spell, and it's more powerful the more shots that hit you, I hit you with twelve. Have a nice nap," Dan told her. He then kicked her lights out, sending her to sleep.

The three wizards regrouped, "Man, those guys were actually a bit of a challenge," Alicia winced, putting her hand on a gash on her hip.

"You guys ok?" Marcus asked, holding a bruise on his stomach.

"Just stings from her weapons, it's nothing though, let me see that Alicia," Dan said, ignoring his own wounds to tend to her cut. He pulled out a roll of bandages.

Marcus did the same, and glanced towards the door deeper into the old guildhall. _It's up to you Daiki, good luck._

* * *

Mercer Frey stood with his arms folded in front of him, frowning at the three wizards that ran towards him. "Honestly, I'm disappointed in you Dagger."

"So what if my greed was too much? It's a guild of greedy gits, we all have varying amounts of it. And like you're one to talk, how much money, jewels and gold have you snaked away from that vault?" Dagger asked him.

"None of the items in that vault belong to you," Daiki said. "Hand them over to the authorities or face the consequences!"

"And return my family coat of arms! Ever since we lost it to grubby hands which don't know their place, my family lost all their honour, they've almost descended into poverty!" Hyde snapped.

Dagger glanced back at him, _Gekido… I'm sorry… I will make things right._ She glared at Mercer. "You're going to surrender, or we will fight you!" She told him.

Mercer laughed, "Foolish brat, you think you can stop me? I'd like to see you try _Lilina._ " The way he drawled out that word made Dagger scowl. His hands were coated in shadowy energy.

"I'll set this party off! **Icarus!** **Ahvel!"** Hyde called out, first casting his speed enhancement, then leaping forward to slam a fist into Mercer's gut… or that would have happened if Mercer hadn't conjured up a wall of shadows.

 **"** **Shadow Guard!"** The master thief called out the name of his spell. He smirked at Hyde. **"Shadow Hammer!"** His fist was cloaked in darkness, before he smashed it into the Lightning wizard, sending him sprawling.

"Shadow magic huh? I know the one weakness to such a power," Daiki smirked, pulling out his paintbrush. **"Talisman of Light!"** Painting a symbol, it was launched at Mercer, cutting right through his guard and searing his skin with holy light.

"I can help with that as well!" Dagger nodded. **"Brilliant Crystal!"** She called out, summoning the said gemstone to her hands, before light shone from it, several beams shooting towards Mercer, who dodged the attack.

 **"** **Shadow Repulse!"** Mercer yelled, a wave of shadows pulsing out in front of him, wiping the red head off her feet and into Hyde. He then rounded on Daiki, pulling out a black and golden sword.

 **"** **Blade of Truth!"** Daiki said, his paintbrush glowing briefly before he caught a downwards swing from Mercer's blade.

"What the…?!" Mercer asked.

"Blade of Truth makes my brush as strong as Stellanium as long as it is in my hand," Daiki explained. "If anything, I should be asking how your blade can withstand the strength of my spell."

"This sword is one I found when I first started out as a thief, however, I stole this from a tomb, some powerful knight was buried with it. I couldn't let such a magnificent blade go to waste, so I helped myself to it, and his fortune," Mercer said. "I've been told it's forged from a mixture of Obsidian and Amber."

Daiki defended himself from Mercer's onslaught, and when he saw an opening, he began countering by clubbing Mercer repeatedly with the painting end, which now functioned as a mace.

 **"** **Shadow Repulse!"** Mercer called out again, sending Daiki slamming into the metal vault door. Mercer was quickly standing over the script wizard, sword raised. "And now, you die!" He said, lowering the sword.

Before the blade could connect, a solid gold dagger slid in and caught it, followed by another that looked as if it was made from diamonds.

"I don't think so," Dagger growled, pushing up against Mercer's sword, then kicking him in the gut. She fell upon him with a blur of motion, her two knives colliding with his sword again and again.

Having two weapons compared to one was an advantage however, because she could deflect his blows with one, then lunge at him with the other. Mercer swung down with a heavy blow, Dagger catching it with her weapons. To counter this, she rolled backwards, sending him flying over her…

…into Hyde's lightning covered boot, which slugged him across the face, breaking his nose in the process. Mercer scrambled to his feet again, clutching his face with one hand, and the other holding his sword out in front of him.

"You will not win," Daiki said, his two angry companions now flanking him. "Surrender immediately. If you do not, I shall hand you back to my compatriots, who do not seem very happy."

Hyde cracked his knuckles, sparks flying from him. Dagger twirled her golden blade on her hand with her thumb. Daiki's brush was held in front of him. All three had varying looks of anger.

Mercer sighed, closing his eyes. Daiki gestured to his allies to stay behind him, and approached, brush raised.

 **"SHADOW OBLIVION!"** Mercer suddenly roared, a massive wave of shadows washing out from him, surging towards the three wizards.

Daiki was quick to act, **"Talisman Shield!"** He called out, raising his domed shield, Hyde and Dagger rushing to get in.

"You can't hold forever wizard of light, I can keep this going until you're reduced to dust under my boot!" Mercer laughed.

"I got something, but I need you to get back, as it could catch you in the crossfire," Hyde whispered to Daiki and Dagger. "It's a risky play, but I don't think we can beat him without it."

Daiki pondered what he could be thinking of, but nodded, "Do it, but be careful."

Hyde nodded, lightning forming in both his hands, becoming two massive balls of sparking energy. **"Trump Card: Quetzalcoatl!"** A huge storm of lightning rained down from above, blasting the area around Hyde, causing damage to everything.

Daiki grit his teeth, eyes widened as he expanded his shield, protecting him and Dagger from Hyde's huge storm. "Amazing… how much power is he dishing out right now?" Dagger asked.

Mercer would answer that question if he wasn't screaming in agony. A lot of the thunderbolts had surged down upon him, and he was in constant shocking pain as the lightning crashed down on him.

The lightning then lifted, and Mercer collapsed, stunned and burnt by the attack. Hyde panted, still in the stance he had made before casting the spell, when suddenly a bolt of lightning struck him, and he also collapsed.

"Hyde!" Dagger gasped, rushing over to him.

"Yeah… one thing I might have forgotten to mention… is that spell takes it out of me when it's finished, I'm not moving until this shock lifts," Hyde chuckled.

"You going to be alright?" Daiki asked.

"I've used that one three times, and I'm still kicking," Hyde smirked.

Daiki turned to Mercer and walked over with his brush out. **"The bearer of this enchantment will be unable to cast magical abilities."** The purple text appeared on Mercer's charred shirt, before vanishing. Daiki then pulled out a coil of rope, and bound Mercer's hands with ease.

* * *

Marcus, Dan and Alicia limped through the ruined Holy Seraph guildhall, Melody floating aside them with her wings out. Turning a corner, the four found Daiki and Dagger aside a seated Hyde and an unconscious man off to the side, tied up.

"Looks like you won," Marcus observed.

"Marcus, Dan, Alicia, Melody." Daiki nodded. "I see you survived as well."

"What happened here?" Alicia asked. The area looked like it had been scorched, glass was lying around the area.

"Trump card, leaves me immobilised for a full day," Hyde said, he sounded extremely tired.

Marcus glanced up at the vault door. "I'll assume that both your crest and my compass are in there."

Alicia put her hands on the door, "This is some pretty thick stuff, but I can crack it open. **Metal Manipulation: Soften!"** She yelled. Then, she pulled out her metal pole. **"Metal Manipulation: Barbaric Bludgeon!"** It quickly changed into a hammer, with a massive spike on one side and a flat side on the other. With a mighty swing, she smashed the spike into the vault door, and it flew off it's hinges. Marcus sprinted in first.

Dagger was quick to follow the Dragon Slayer through the hole made. Her eyes widened upon seeing chests, sacks and other containers, all filled to the brim with treasure.

Marcus was quick to begin sifting through the nearest box of valuables, "Look how much they've stolen…" He mumbled, pulling out a sack full of jewel. He put it to the side and rummaged again.

Dagger was also searching through the treasure, but she wasn't taking any of it, like she might have before she met Cait Shelter's team. She had been the one to put both Gekido's crest and the Dragon Slayer's compass in here, so she knew where to find them.

Within a few minutes, she shoved aside several gold coins, and uncovered a coat of arms made of gold and silver with several different jewels and gems covering it. "One down," She said, putting it down carefully beside her, and going back in, pulling out the compass, it's ruby red needle glistening.

"Yo, Dragon dude," She said, getting his attention. He turned, and she carefully tossed the compass to him, his sharp reflexes letting him catch it with ease.

"Thank you Dagger, I hope you learned your lesson about taking what isn't yours," He said to her, pocketing the compass.

"Don't worry, I'm done with the whole stealing thing, from now on, I'll earn my rewards," Dagger nodded.

She stepped out of the vault, walking over to where Hyde was being tended by Daiki. "Gekido… Hyde… I had _no_ idea this thing was so important to your family… I know you can never forgive me for what I did… but please accept my apology." She put the crest in his lap.

"Lilina…" She heard him say. "He called you Lilina."

"That's my name," Dagger said. "My name is Lilina Yoake."

Hyde coughed, "Well… what do you plan to do now Lilina? Go on the run? Or turn yourself in."

Lilina smiled, "Dagger will go on the run. Lilina Yoake will roam free," She said.

"I see. Well… when I've recovered the ability to move, I'm heading home, I've got to hand this crest back to my family," Hyde said. "Then… I don't know…"

"There's always room for new friends at Cait Shelter," Melody said, tending to some of Alicia's lesser injuries while Dan tended to his own.

"Yeah, it's a fun little place to live," Alicia nodded.

"It might be a guild full of hooligans, but it's a decent place nonetheless," Dan chuckled dryly.

Hyde glanced up at the damaged roof. "I never thought about joining a guild, I'll have to give it some thought."

"By all means. Take all the time you want," Daiki said.

* * *

Hyde took a deep breath, and knocked at the front door of his home. It soon opened, and an older looking version of himself stood in the doorway.

"Hyde?!" the man asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey pops, look what I found," Hyde said, and pulled something out of a satchel at his waist. His father gasped when Hyde showed him their family crest.

"You found it!" He cheered. "You actually got it back!" He then glanced behind Hyde, and saw Hyde's friends.

"These folks helped me get it back," Hyde said. "They're guild wizards, and I kinda had to make a request for help, and I sort of put 90k as the reward…" he scratched the back of his neck.

Hyde's father turned to the wizards, "It may take some time for us to restore to our former status. When we do, I'll send it to your guildhall. What guild are you from?"

"We're from Cait Shelter," Marcus said, showing the emblem on his shoulder. "And don't worry, We understand if you can't provide a reward. Don't bother, we'd feel bad if we took a poor family's cash."

"That's very generous of you young man, but if there is anything me and my family could do to help, just ask," Hyde's father said.

"Hey Hyde, remember, Cait Shelter can always shelter another if you're looking for work," Marcus told him.

"I'll remember that," Hyde nodded. "Thanks for everything guys." With that, he walked into the house, and the door closed.

"Right, let's head home," Marcus said, stretching his arms.

"Yeah, I'm ready for a good soak in the showers when we get back," Alicia agreed.

"I wonder if we'll beat Wendy and Emma back?" Melody said.

"We will if we take the train," Dan chuckled at Marcus' expression when he mentioned such transportation.

* * *

"So, no reward then…" Roubaul observed. "However, you stopped a thieves' organisation and the stolen goods are now in the hands of the Rune Knights."

Daiki nodded, "The freelancer was a strong fighter, I will be honoured to fight by Hyde's side again."

"I think he'll show up, I mean, we joined after meeting Emma and Wendy," Alicia said. "What do you think Dan?" She asked her friend.

"Honestly? I found him to be a man of honour. Like Daiki, I'd accept him as a teammate," Dan said.

"If he impressed Dan, then he's bound to be strong," Lana said, putting drinks down in front of them.

"Cheers Lana," Marcus nodded. "Alright, here's to a successful mission!"

"Cheers!" Everyone, even Dan, echoed.

A few weeks later, Marcus was doing some yard work when he noticed two sets of footsteps coming his way. He glanced up, and grinned, seeing Hyde Gekido walking towards him. What was surprising though was the appearance of Lilina Yoake beside him.

"Hey man, good to see ya," Hyde waved, as Marcus set aside his broom to greet the Lightning wizard with a handshake.

"You too," Marcus nodded. He glanced over at Lilina. "How have you been?" He asked.

"Well... after I turned myself in, they carted me off to prison. However, last week, Hyde walked into my cell block and said that he had provided a claim that I had helped fight back against Mercer, and they let me go," Lilina said, twirling a few locks of red hair around her finger.

"Anyway... we were wondering... is that offer to join still up?" Hyde asked. "We'd both like to join."

Marcus chuckled, "Right this way."

* * *

 **Marcus: And that's it for the Harlequins arc!**

 **Dan: Not bad.**

 **Alicia: Hey, we were both badass in this arc, and Hyde and Lilina are amazing as well!**

 **Melody: Don't forget Daiki! He is such an interesting character, and his magic is unique!**

 **Daiki: Thank you, but I think we should focus on the next chapter.**

 **All: Next time: Do Fairies Even Exist?**


	10. Chapter 10: Do Fairies Even Exist?

**Hello, hello, and welcome to Fairy Tail again! So, here's the idea I've got going on now, a Fairy Tail arc involving our two members of the top guild in Fiore! So, without further ado, welcome to the Lullaby Arc!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Do Fairies Even Exist?**

 **Title Song: Lucy theme - Fairy Tail**

* * *

"Man, it's good to be back," A blue haired, petite girl said, stretching her arms. She was wearing a dark blue t-shirt, white shorts and yellow sneakers.

"Yeah, that job took us much further than I first thought," A man wearing a tall brown and white striped hat, a brown coat over a purple shirt and black pants nodded. His hair was short and orange, and his hat fit nicely on his head.

Another man laughed, "I wonder if anything interesting will happen while we're back this time," He said. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, light brown cargo pants and black boots. For some reason, he also wore two yellow bandoliers across his chest. His hair was black, slicked up.

"What do you think Kione?" The blue haired girl asked, glancing back.

"I just want a shower," The silver haired girl said, gold blindfold over her eyes. She was wearing a silver coat that trailed behind her, a yellow shirt underneath, dark grey pants and black sneakers.

"I can relate there, sister," nodded the blue haired girl.

This was Team Shadow Gear, a four-man team, consisting of Levy McGarden, Sarusuke 'Jet' Hayasa, Droy Midoriio and Kione Radcliffe.

Magnolia's streets were busy as ever, citizens milling about their everyday routine. Team Shadow Gear passed them by, heading towards the sea, where home was waiting for them.

The guildhall of the Fairy Tail guild.

Approaching the doors, Droy turned to Kione, "Is there anything we should be afraid of?" He asked.

Kione paused for a second, "No. There isn't any fights or brawls to be concerned about," She shook her head.

"Awesome!" Levy grinned, the two men pushing open the doors.

"We're back!" They both called out.

"Team Shadow Gear has returned victorious!" Levy added. There was a smattering of greetings and waving to their return.

"Hey Kione, you keep Jet and Droy in line this time?" Asked a black haired young man, wearing just his underwear.

"I try, but those two are impossible to control," Kione sighed, walking over to the man's table. "And clothes Gray?"

Gray Fullbuster frowned, "How do you do it?" He muttered, looking around for his pants and shirt.

"Because it's _you_ , Gray, you're always missing clothing, so it's easier to guess," Kione told him.

"She has a point," Both heads turned at the voice, a brown-haired woman wearing a blue bra, brown leather pants and black slip-on shoes. "The amount of times she's heard me say it, she just expects you to be in nothing but your skivvies," Cana Alberona pointed out.

"Hey Cana," Kione smiled.

"Hey kid, how've you been?" She asked.

"Just fine, my magic didn't fail me once, again," Kione let a grin show.

"Awesome to hear," The brunette pat her on the back.

Kione walked over to the bar, hopping up onto a stool. "Mira, can I have some juice please?" She called over.

"Be right with you Ki!" A white-haired woman wearing a flowing red dress and shoes called back. This was Mirajane Strauss, the poster girl of Fairy Tail.

Kione sighed, and let her senses take over while she waited for her drink. She heard Elfman's wooden geta sandals clogging on the ground, felt the vibrations of everyone messing around or walking to and from one spot to another, she could smell Cana's alcohol.

She then felt the vibrations that she knew were associated with none other than Fairy Tail's resident pyro.

"We made it back alive!" The voice of a pink haired young man boomed as he kicked open the doors. He wore a dark blue sleeveless jacket which he left open with golden trims, white baggy pants and a pair of sandals. Around his neck was his scaly white scarf.

"We're home!" Called the voice of his best friend in the guild. This was a blue furred cat which was floating in the air thanks to a pair of white angelic wings, the only thing he wore was a green knapsack which was tied around his neck.

"Hey Natsu and Happy!" Kione called over, one of the folks to welcome the dynamic duo back.

Kione then detected that Natsu had returned with another person in tow. She couldn't tell, but the girl behind Natsu had long blonde hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a white shirt with blue lines along the edges and zip lines. She also wore a blue skirt, held up by a brown belt, and had a small collection of keys at her left hip and a whip at her right. She also wore brown boots.

 _Who's she?_ Kione's first question was, before Natsu slammed a foot into Krov, another member who had apparently given incorrect information to him about a dragon sighting.

What followed was the beginning of descension into utter chaos, with Gray, the white-haired brute of a man called Elfman Strauss, who wore dark blue Japanese styled clothes, what a hooligan would wear, the lady killer Loke, which was an orange haired young man who wore a green jacket over an orange shirt, brown pants and black shoes. Around his eyes were a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses.

"Looks like they're at it again…" Cana sighed.

"Yup," Kione sighed. She turned her attention to the newcomer, "You might want to come over to the corner of sanity," She called to her.

"Who? Me?" Asked the girl.

"You're the only one who is standing in the middle of the guildhall, rule number one of this guild, never stand there if a fight is brewing," Cana said to her.

As the girl came over, she took notice of Kione's eyes, "Your eyes…" She observed.

"It's ok, I don't need them anymore," Kione told her. "Never felt your vibrations before, you come in with Natsu over there?"

"I said I wanted to come to Fairy Tail and he ends up practically dragging me out of Hargeon," The girl said. "I'm Lucy."

"I'm Kione Radcliffe, this is Cana," The silver haired girl pointed to her friend at the bar, who gave a casual salute from behind a barrel of booze.

"So… shouldn't we, like… try to stop them?" Lucy asked.

"Just let them get it out of their system, it's not the first brawl today," Cana shrugged.

"Just stay with me and I'll keep you safe from any and all projectiles," Kione said, as she said this, she suddenly raised a hand, a small pulse blasting from it, stopping a tankard from hitting Mira in the head.

"Whoa… what was that?" Lucy asked.

"I use vibration magic, it's handy for someone who can't see," Kione said. As she said this, she channelled her magic into the ground, and Lucy felt her own stool vibrate suddenly.

"Well, if they don't stop fighting, then only two of the guild will be able to stop them," Cana shrugged, she held up a tarot card, "That's enough guys, I suggest you knock it off." A green magic circle appeared from her card.

"Oh yeah?! Says who?" Gray demanded, his fist landing on his open palm, icy mists forming and a blue magic circle appearing.

Elfman gave a massive roar, stone forming around his arm, until it encased his arm completely. Loke then twisted one of his rings, "You guys can be such a nuisance," He muttered.

"Oh yeah! I'm ready for ya!" Natsu grinned, fire swirling onto his hands.

Kione sighed, **"Shockwave!"** She called out, tapping the ground with her foot, knocking all the combatants with magic out off their feet, or in Cana's case, off her chair.

 **"** **Will you brats shut up! I can hardly hear myself thinking with all this racket you're causing!"** Kione winced, as suddenly a massive pair of feet slammed onto the floor, followed by a booming voice.

"Master… could you remember not to do that while I'm here?" She asked the owner of the voice, a hulking great figure that barely fit in the guildhall.

"I'm sorry. Did you say _master?!"_ Lucy asked.

"Seems we have a new recruit," The giant observed.

"Y-yes sir!" Lucy squeaked.

"Master, you're scaring her," Kione said.

The giant roared, his magic swelling before he shrunk rapidly, returning to the diminutive form of Master Makarov Dreyar, wearing a blue and orange striped jacket over a white shirt and black pants, topping his outfit was the jester hat that shared the same colour as his jacket.

The old man then leapt up to the second-floor balcony, but hit his back on the railing, before he stood up, clearing his throat.

"You gone and done it again! You bunch of clods!" He began. "Look at this pile of complaints! It's the biggest amount yet!"

A lot of the guild began looking down, sheepish expressions on their faces.

"First up, Gray. Good work clearing out that smuggling operation. But you walked around town butt-naked afterwards, and had to steal some poor chap's underwear!" Makarov said.

Kione had to repress a snort. "How many kids do you think he scarred this time?" She asked Mira. "A perk for being blind, I never have to deal with that sort of thing." Mira just giggled.

"Elfman! You had a mission to escort a VIP, but you ended up assaulting the man you had to protect!" Makarov went on.

"He said 'men are about education'. So…" The white haired man trailed off, no excuse for his actions.

"Cana. Drinking 15 barrels of booze and charging it to the council. Loke. Flirting with Councilman Reiji's granddaughter. "Jet. Causing a minor tornado in Breezy Hills. Kione. You caused an _earthquake_ in Sahara."

Kione blushed, it wasn't her fault that the town had been constructed on the border of two tectonic plates.

"And Natsu." Makarov sighed. "You destroyed the Devon Thief family, but also seven homes of innocent townspeople… levelling a historic clock tower in Tully Village. Burning down a church in Freesia. Damaging parts of Lupinus Castle. Nazuna Ravine observatory collapsed. Destroying half of Hargeon Port…"

Kione gave a small whistle, that list was bigger than her sister's last complaint pile.

"Alzach, Max, Bisca, Wakaba," Makarov flicked through the rest. "Have you kids gone and lost your minds?! All you seem good at is getting the higher-ups mad at me!"

Everyone looked down, unable to find words to say. "However…" Suddenly the stack of papers in Makarov's hands burst into flames. "I say to heck with the Magic Council!" He then tossed the small fireball into the air, and Natsu jumped up like a seal leaping up for a fish.

"Now listen up!" The tiny master called out. "Any power that serves it's reason still comes from reason right?" He inquired. "Magic isn't some miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us and the flow of energy in the natural work are in perfect synchronisation. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind, and the ability to focus. It should take over your being and come pouring out of your soul! If all we worry about is rules then our magic will never progress! Don't let those blowhards on the Council scare you. Follow the path you believe in! Because that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild NUMBER ONE!"

He held his index finger and thumb up above him, pointing at the sky, and such, every member in the guild hall followed suit, cheering and laughing at their master's inspiring words. Kione smiled, sitting back down on her stool, this was why she and her sister had joined Fairy Tail. It was always a fun experience, and Makarov was nothing short of a father to every member.

* * *

A short while later, Kione decided to step outside, walking down to the beach behind the guildhall. She came here when she wanted to meditate, synchronising her breathing patterns to the coming and going of the tide.

"Kione?" She paused in her meditation when she heard the voice of Jet. "You ok?"

"Just wanted to get some fresh air," Kione replied.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault about Sahara, no one knew that earthquake would happen," Jet said. "Besides, look at me, I caused a tornado because I went too fast in a windy area."

The tall speed wizard came to sit down next to her. "I noticed Sarah wasn't back," He said.

"She left before we did, Master asked her to go on a mission for him," Kione said. "I think she went with Erza."

"Well, she'll be fine then," Jet chuckled. Kione suddenly felt a violent tremor from the guildhall.

"Natsu's pissed about something," She observed. "He just went out the door… wait… Lucy followed him?"

"I have a feeling those two will go well together," Jet chuckled. "I can't say why though."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one then," Kione smiled. "Thanks for coming out and talking with me Jet, I'm really happy that I teamed up with Shadow Gear, I don't think I would make it as far as I have now without you, Droy and Levy."

"Hey, no worries, we're teammates, we look out for each other," Jet smiled back, putting a hand on her shoulder.

* * *

The two headed back into the guildhall, "Laki… could you be a dear and repair the job request board? Natsu almost put a hole in it again," Makarov asked.

A young woman with shoulder-length violet-hair and red glasses stood up, she was wearing a white coat with dark cuffs, a dark cravat tie around the collar, tight-fitting dark pants tucked inside white boots with dark soles. "Alright master, let's fix that wound," Laki Olietta nodded.

As she used her Wood Make magic to fix the board, Kione sat down next to the Master. "What happened?" She asked.

"Macao hasn't come back from Mt Hakobe. Romeo got a little bit bratty, and Natsu got mad and went after him," Makarov said, as Mira put a band-aid on his hooter.

"This isn't good Master, you know how that kid is," Nab Lasaro said, a tall and muscular young man like Elfman, with black hair, he wore a dark, open vest with its edges decorated by green and red triangles, and a fur loincloth around his waist held up by a belt with many rings. His forearms and lower legs were covered in armour plates held up by ropes, and he also carried on his person several skulls held together by cords around his neck and waist.

"I bet you he's headed up to Mt Hakobe to rescue Macao," The muscular man sighed.

"Now now Nab, I've told you before, we're all in charge of our own path," Makarov told him, a fresh drink in his hand.

"I'm surprised that that new girl, Lucy, walked after him," Kione said, "He's clearly had an impact on her."

"She'll fit right in if that's the case," Mira giggled.

* * *

Kione decided to stick around for the rest of the day, talking with her fellow guild members. "So yeah, that wyvern was no match for us, Kione kept bringing it down and we just continued to clip at its wings until it crashed and burnt," Jet was saying.

"So, you're not as pathetic as I thought, in fact, taking on a wyvern is pretty _manly_ for someone like you two boneheads," Elfman said to him and Droy.

"Lay off them big guy, they actually put in a lot of work to deal with that thing," Kione said.

"Let's not forget it was Levy's plan that won us the day," Droy reminded his teammates.

"Oh… come on guys, you did all the heavy lifting," Levy waved off the praise.

Kione smiled, it was the banter like this which made it worth being a part of Team Shadow Gear. Levy glanced at the clock and yawned. "I think I'm going to call it a day," She said, stretching her arms. "Kione, you coming back to Fairy Hills yet?"

"Sure, I'll sense you guys tomorrow," She said to her friends.

"Alright Ki, see ya tomorrow," Droy smiled.

"Be careful going home you two," Jet added.

Kione and Levy nodded, grabbing their coats and heading home.

* * *

Kione sighed, removing her clothes and getting into the tub. She grinned, feeling her aches from the road wash away. "I can't believe it's been five years since we joined," She muttered. "The anniversary for us joining us coming up soon."

"I mean… I've gained a small reputation, and Sarah… she's one of our S-Class… things sure have changed since the days of Lunet…" She sighed. Getting out, she wrapped herself in a towel before brewing herself some tea. Then, while she did that, she pushed the cupboard open with her magic and reached up to grab the sugar.

While her water was boiling, she changed into a silver shirt that was a size too big for her, and some sweatpants. Grabbing her tea, and putting in two spoons of sugar, she sat down on her bed, humming quietly.

A knock soon came at the door, Kione took a second to detect the person, and smiled, "Come in Laki," She smiled.

The lavender haired girl stepped into the room, and walked over to Kione, "Hey, just wanted to make sure you're alive while your sister is off being a hunter of creeps."

Kione smiled at Laki's strange word patterns, "It's ok, I can manage my own routine now, and I can navigate Magnolia by myself now."

"True, I guess we're all making sure that you can remain intact until Sarah returns with Erza," Laki said.

"Laki, I'll be _fine_ ," Kione stressed. "When I finish my tea, I'm going to turn in, don't worry."

The wood-maker wizard nodded, "Alright then, pleasant dreams Kione. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Kione shook her head when Laki had gone, "I'm sure she's fine," She muttered.

* * *

"I'm sure she's just fine without you," A red haired woman said, wearing a silver breastplate with the Heart Kreuz symbol on it. She was also wearing a blue skirt, armoured gauntlets and black boots.

"I guess you're right," Her travelling companion sighed, staring up at the night sky. She was a young woman with golden-blonde hair that reached to her waist and amethyst purple eyes. She was wearing a short purple jacket over a black halter top that refuses to hide all of her chest. She also wore a black pair of tight shorts that stops just before her knees, finishing the look with black fingerless gloves and boots. "I just worry, that's all."

The red-head sighed, "Well, we should probably take turns keeping watch," she said. "Sarah. I shall take first watch." She said. "I'll wake you around halfway through the night so you can take over."

"Ok Erza," Sarah nodded. The blonde rolled out her bedroll, and settled down in it, closing her eyes.

The following morning, the two Fairy Tail wizards were on the move, Erza was pulling her cart of luggage along, and Sarah was carrying a massive horn, the souvenir they had been given by the villagers who they had saved, after they slayed the horn's owner, a monster that dared mess with the two deadly ladies.

"At the rate we're going, we should be home in a day, maybe two," Sarah observed.

"Indeed, but I propose we stop at Onibas' pub, it's close to home, and we can get some much-needed food," Erza nodded.

"You mean your strawberry cheesecake?" Sarah asked with a small giggle.

"Don't think that I forget, I'm not the only girl with a sweet tooth," Erza chuckled. "Blueberry Sponge?"

Sarah rubbed her scalp, "Guilty as charge I guess," She laughed.

"I think the news of us due back soon is going to scare the others, Natsu and Gray are _still_ terrified of you, you know?" She changed the subject.

When Erza didn't answer, Sarah wondered what she might have said. Then she realised what Erza had.

They were being watched.

"I sense it too," She mumbled. "How many?"

"I think around twenty," Erza mumbled back. "Ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Sarah grinned. "You guys can come out now!" She called out.

Suddenly, twenty cloaked figures emerged from the treeline and out of the ground. All were dressed in black or brown ninja cowls and outfits, some male, some female.

"From their appearance, it looks as if they're members of the Infinity Ninja dark guild," Erza said, a magic sword quick to appear in her hand.

"Alright ladies, hand over all your goods, and we might let you become our pets," A ninja said.

Both women glanced at each other, then laughed.

"H-HEY! This isn't a joke you know!?" Another ninja said.

"You really thought we would be good targets? Do you even know _who_ we are?" Erza asked, first to reign in her laughter.

"Alright, we tried to be reasonable! Attack!" The lead ninja called out.

With a wordless nod, the two women leapt up. Erza pouncing on three ninjas, cutting them down with her startling aim. On the other side of the clearing, Sarah gathered cosmic energy in her hands. " **Void Magic: Tethershot!"** She called, a purple bow of void energy formed, before she fired three arrows at once, falling at the feet of their opponent.

The ninjas paused to stare at the arrows, "I've seen sleep walkers with better aim than that!" One laughed.

Sarah snapped her fingers, before turning to the next bunch. As she did, the arrows suddenly exploded, knocking out the guys behind her.

Erza meanwhile huffed, "There are more than I expected… **Requip!"** She called, her armour disappearing as her body glowed.

"Her armour is disappearing!" Some of the male ninjas hooted, giving some catcalls. Sarah smirked, they wouldn't be in a second.

 **"** **Heaven's Wheel Armour!"** Erza said, as a metal breastplate formed around her upper body, decorated in metal petals, which overlapped each other, leaving her stomach bare. From her midriff down, she wore a white long skirt that stuck out, decorated the same way as the breastplate.

Several swords began floating around her, appearing from nowhere. **"Scattered Petals!"** She called out. Her swords shooting away towards the enemy like missiles, each connecting with their target, putting them out of commission.

Sarah frowned, as two ninjas attempted to cut her down with their knives and other curved blades. **"Void Magic: Dark Swords!"** She called, two thin needle-like swords appeared on her wrists, and she blocked them both quickly.

"Please. You two want to know the sword user who is strong enough to beat me?" She asked them.

"Uh… who is it then?" One asked.

"Her," Sarah gestured to the monster behind her, who was tossing aside two ninjas with powerful swings from her swords, then firing two swords from the circle above her at them, making them keel over in pain.

Not letting them figure out that they were in trouble, she suddenly spun her arms around in a vertical loop, knocking the two guys off balance, then, while they were falling, she stabbed at their guts with her wrist swords.

She frowned at the last three, who were raising hands filled with kunai knives. **"Ultimate Void Art!"** She yelled, leaping into the air. **"Nova Bomb!"** She released a blob of void energy, which slammed into the ground, creating a large explosion, sending the last three guys flying.

One man glanced up from where he was eating dirt, and gulped. "Now I get it!" He whimpered, "That's Titania Erza and Daughter of Darkness Sarah!" He then passed out from the sheer terror.

Erza cut down the last of her side of the enemy, and requipped back to her regular outfit, her Heart Kreuz armour and blue skirt reappearing on her form. "That was a nice workout," Sarah smirked, stretching.

"Indeed, now let's wrap them up and throw them on the cart, we can drop them off at the barracks in Onibas and stop for our lunch as a reward," Erza nodded.

"That sounds like a plan to me Erza," Sarah grinned. "Now, let's go get that cake!"

* * *

 **Marcus: Just a heads up, I made up the last names for Jet and Droy, just so they have a proper introduction. I mean, I feel like they're the only guild members who _don't_ have last names, every other member has a last name, even Nab and Vijeeter, who are nothing but background characters!**

 **Emma: Fair enough.**

 **Sarah: So, it's our turn for an arc eh?**

 **Kione: Fair enough, I assume we're joining team Natsu.**

 **Marcus: Patience you two, I have to come up with the stuff first!**

 **All: Next time: Fairy Tail's Strongest Team?!**


	11. Chapter 11: Fairy Tail's Strongest Team?

**So, I realise this is a little late, so I apologise. Welcome to the Lullaby arc, which will follow the sisters in Fairy Tail on their adventures.**

 **While teaming up with Team Natsu, I'll try to keep the focus on Sarah and Kione.**

 **As always, please enjoy and review if you want.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Fairy Tail's Strongest Team?!**

 **Title Song: Busy Street - Fairy Tail OST**

* * *

"We're back!" Jet and Droy both called as Team Shadowgear walked into the guildhall. They had taken a smaller job in Magnolia, and it was helping to clean the orphanage on the other side of the city. Levy quickly sprinted over to the board, and took a big and sharp look.

"Aw man… that book stealing gig isn't there, did someone take it?" She asked, disappointment clear in her voice.

"Natsu, Lucy and Happy took it, they left this morning," Gray said.

"Darn, I really liked the look of it, and the reward looked great too," Levy sighed.

"Actually, I got a message from the client of that job," Makarov said.

"Oh, did they cancel their request?" Mira asked.

"No. In fact the opposite, they've increased the reward," Makarov said. "It's now two million jewel." He then took a sip of his drink.

"Two _million?"_ Jet asked.

"That's like fighting monsters pay!" Droy added.

"What could be so important about this book?" Kione asked.

Gray chuckled, ice cubes forming in his glass of water, "Sounds like this job just got interesting."

The black haired teen then went off on a small job, and Levy groaned, sitting down on the bench. "It sucks that job was taken," She said.

"We've been on a roll recently with jobs, I'm good to take a break," Kione shrugged.

"I guess," Levy shrugged, waving over Mira, "A round of drinks please!"

"Coming right up!" Mira waved back.

* * *

Kione went home to Fairy Hills to have a shower and get a change of clothes on. She now wore a white sleeveless dress with green trims and a green star on the chest. She also wore a pair of black leggings and green sandals. She sighed, putting on a pair of earphones connected to a music lacrima. She smiled, walking back to the guildhall with them in her ears, using her magic to know exactly where she's going.

She returned to the guildhall to feel the usual midday brawl, "I leave for ten minutes and this happens?" She sighed. She also noted both Natsu's group and Gray had returned as well, with both named hooligans in the middle of the fight.

"Bad news!" Loke called, bursting into the guildhall. "They're back! Both of them!"

With those two short sentences, the mood in the guildhall changed instantly.

"Big sis is back?!" Kione asked.

"She's not the one to worry about!" Natsu shivered.

"It's the other one!" Gray gulped.

"Wait… who are you talking about?" Lucy asked.

"Big sis Sarah and Erza," Kione said calmly. She turned to the entire hall, "You guys know the drill, let's get this place looking spick and span for them to come home to!" She called out.

"Aye sir!" All hands were on deck as the guys took any broken tables and benches downstairs and brought up replacements, meanwhile, the girls helped Mirajane with tidying up any spilt drinks and dropped food caused by the fights.

"Whoa," Lucy blinked, watching every occupant of the guildhall pretty much restore the guildhall to how it was that morning.

It wasn't long before everything looked as best it could. And just in time, as a pair of armoured footsteps, and a softer pair of footsteps, started approaching the guildhall. "Those are her footsteps alright," Laki whimpered.

"Even the air has gone completely still," Macao mumbled.

"Why is everyone afraid of Erza?" Lucy asked.

"You'll see," Kione said nearby. "Here they come in five, four, three, two, one…"

Upon her count finishing, two beautiful women walked into the guildhall via the front door. One had red-hair, and wore silver armour with a Heart Kreuz pattern, a blue skirt, black socks and armoured boots. On her arms were a pair of armoured bracers as well.

The other girl had long blonde hair that brushed to her waistline, and wore She was wearing a short purple jacket over a black halter top that refuses to hide all of her chest. She also wore a black pair of tight shorts that stops just before her knees, finishing the look with black fingerless gloves and boots. She was also carrying a huge horn over her shoulders with ease.

"We're back!" The blonde waved with her free hand.

"We have returned, where is Master Makarov?" Erza stated.

"Welcome back you two!" Mira greeted them first. "The Master is away at a conference, so I'm filling in while he's away."

"Damn, we need to see him as soon as possible," Sarah sighed, putting the horn down.

"What's that thing you got there you two?" A member asked.

"It's the horn of a monster we defeated. The villagers were kind enough to decorate it and gift it to us," Sarah said.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Erza asked, giving the man a dark glare.

"No, not at all ma'am!" The original member, plus many more, replied with fear.

"Now listen up, while we were on the road, we heard a few disturbing things about our guild," Erza said.

"Betcha she heard about what happened at Mt. Hakobe," Cana mumbled to Macao.

"You think so? Man, I'm a goner…" Macao whispered.

"Cana, you need to start controlling your drinking. Vijeeter, please take the dancing outside. Wakaba, get rid of that filthy habit!" She commanded. "Nab? I thought I'd find you hiding near the request board, just pick a job! Macao!" Erza paused.

"Please say something!" Macao begged.

"I don't know what to say, you cause so much trouble I've given up," Erza sighed. "Now, are Natsu and Gray here?" She asked.

"Aye!" Happy pointed to the two mentioned people. They were linked arms over the other's shoulder, and sweating buckets.

"Oh, hey there Erza! We're just hanging around like good friends do!" Gray grinned nervously.

"Aye!" Natsu agreed.

"Why is Natsu sounding like Happy?" Lucy asked.

"He's scared of her, he challenged her to a fight a few years ago and lost badly," Mira giggled.

"She then saw Gray walking around naked and beat him up too," Macao chuckled.

"And let's not forget she beat up Loke for trying to hit on her. He totally deserved it though," Cana chuckled behind a wine glass.

Kione chuckled, she remembered all three of those occasions. "Ahem," She cringed, hearing her sister clear her throat. "What's this I hear about an earthquake in Sahara?" She asked.

"Barrier of two tectonic plates underneath, never would have known," Kione explained quickly.

"Fine," Sarah said. "I'm just glad you're looking well," She said, pulling the younger sibling into a hug.

"Good, it's nice to see you two getting along nicely," Erza smiled at Gray and Natsu. "But even the best of friends can lock horns sometimes."

"I was hoping to wait until Master Makarov came back, but the situation is of the utmost importance, Natsu, Gray, Kione, me and Sarah could really use your help," Erza stated.

"Did I hear that right?" Macao asked.

"That's a first," Wakaba agreed.

"Natsu, Gray, Erza, Sarah and Kione on the same team? This could be the strongest team Fairy Tail's ever seen!" Mira gasped.

 _Me and Natsu?_ Gray thought.

 _On the same team?_ Natsu equally thought.

 _Natsu and Gray I can understand, those two together could_ possibly _beat Erza. But why me? I'm not strong, not compared to those guys!_ Kione blinked. _And the strongest team? Excuse me?! Gildarts, Mystogan and Laxus would_ easily _be the guild's strongest team._

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning," Erza told them, before she walked out of the guildhall, and headed in the direction of Fairy Hills.

Sarah put a hand on her sister's head, "I hear you've had a bit of a success streak on jobs as of late," She said, as the two siblings took a seat at the bar.

"I couldn't have done it without Levy and the guys," Kione shook her head.

"No, they help you, but you're being successful with your magic now, that's a good thing kid," Sarah said, taking a root beer from Mira. She took a small swig, and smiled.

Kione chuckled, noting the insult war between Gray and Natsu behind them. "I can't say I'm not sorry for you two," Lucy said, coming up to sit next to Kione. "Those two are unbelievable," She sighed.

"You said it," Sarah snorted. "Sarah Radcliffe, welcome to Fairy Tail." She reached a hand over.

"I'm Lucy, nice to meet you," The other blonde said with a smile, taking and shaking the hand.

"Oh Lucy, maybe it should be a good idea for you to tag along tomorrow," Mira said, stepping over.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked.

"Those two will be at it all the time when Erza isn't looking, and Sarah doesn't mind it enough to tell them off," Mira explained. "So it'll be up to you to separate them."

"Welcome aboard Lucy, believe me, we're going to have an interesting day tomorrow," Sarah pat the new recruit on the back.

"What _is_ the mission tomorrow?" Asked Kione.

"We'll explain on the train tomorrow," Sarah said. "I don't know about you, but I'm heading home for a shower and hit the hay early, you going to be ok getting home sis?"

"I do know the way you know," Kione deadpanned.

"Ok, see you at the station tomorrow morning, around ten o'clock sharp if you can," The older sister said, hopping off her stool and heading out the guild and going right towards Fairy Hills.

* * *

"That's better," Sarah yawned, stepping out of the shower and getting into a black tank-top and some purple sweatpants. She headed over to her bed, which was right next to the window.

"I'll need a full charge tomorrow," She mumbled, getting in under the sheets and letting sleep claim her quickly.

* * *

 _"_ _You monsters! How could you do that to her! To your own daughter!" A young girl screamed._

 _"_ _Because she needed to be punished for being back after curfew," A male voice said._

 _"_ _Now go to your room and stay there Sarah, or you'll have the same treatment as her!" A woman told her._

 _"_ _No…" The girl whimpered. "What you did to Kione… I'll never forgive you for this!"_

 _"_ _As of this moment, Mr Graham Radcliffe and Mrs Yvonne Radcliffe are to be sentenced to life imprisonment!" A commanding male voice said. "Use of Vibration magic to pop eyeballs… god… how could someone do that…"_

 _"_ _They shall also receive the charges for child abuse, attempted murder, maiming a child, resisting arrest and attacking Rune Knights," Another commanding voice said, this one also male._

 _"_ _We also found that they were members of the Eisenwald Dark Guild, and also were safe keeping the forbidden item Lullaby, but refuse to give it's location. A thorough sweep of their property reveals it isn't there," A female voice spoke up this time._

 _"_ _You think prison will save you from us?" The first male voice echoed._

 _"_ _We'll come back someday, and you'll be the first to know," The first woman's voice followed._

* * *

Sarah woke with a start, gasping. She glanced around, and sighed. _Just a nightmare… again…_ She frowned. _Going to have to contact Era and triple the surveillance on those two monsters. They_ can't _be allowed to escape._

She sighed, and glanced at her clock, "Six in the morning… well… might as well get up now, maybe do some training down on the beach," With that decided, she got up and changed into a black sarashi around her upper chest and black hakama pants. Then, she walked out her apartment, and headed down to the beach.

* * *

Lucy sighed, from where she was sat, watching Natsu and Gray at it again. "So why did you come along Lucy?" Happy asked.

"Because Mira asked me to help keep those two apart, but I value my life too much to get between them," She replied.

"Good call, getting between those two is asking for death," Kione chuckled. "Unless you're Erza or big sis."

"Did someone call?" Both girls and the cat turned, spotting the blonde girl approaching, with a backpack on. "Natsu, Gray, can you guys not fight for one day? I really just cannot deal with it today."

Kione frowned when she heard the stress in her sister's voice, so she pulled her a little bit off to the side. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nightmare, about _them_ ," Sarah sighed.

"You mean…?" Kione trailed off.

"Yep, going to write a letter when we get back to the guild hall and also will speak with Master about it," She nodded.

"Sorry I'm late," Erza's voice sounded out from behind them. "Have you been waiting long?" Her voice instantly stopped Natsu and Gray's latest bickering, and Lucy and Happy turned to the voice.

"Not at all," Lucy began, turning her head to see the red-haired girl approach… with a wagon full of suitcases. "Uh… what's with all the luggage?" the blonde dared to ask.

"Don't ask, it's better if you don't," Sarah told her.

"What was your name again?" Erza asked the newcomer.

"My name's Lucy," The blonde girl said. Erza then glanced back, to see Natsu and Gray both dancing together. "Mira asked me to come along."

"The more the merrier, I'm Erza," Erza introduced herself.

"Erza, I'll only agree to team up with you and frosty on one condition," Natsu said.

Everyone glanced at him, wondering what this condition was.

"Shut-up!" Gray hissed at the Dragon Slayer.

"Let's hear it," Erza said.

"Kay. Let's have a rematch when we get back to the guild!" Natsu challenged her.

Sarah chuckled, Kione sighed. Gray meanwhile looked at Natsu as if he was growing a pair of dragon wings.

"What's wrong with you?" Gray asked, putting a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You got a death wish?"

"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time," Natsu assured the ice wizard. "This time it will be different, because I'm gonna beat you!"

"Yes. I can tell you've improved," Erza nodded. "Whether or not you can beat me… we'll just have to wait and see. I accept your challenge."

"Oh yeah!" Natsu grinned. "I'm all fired up!"

"Of course he would say that… just like Natsu to make a challenge for a fight," Sarah chuckled.

"I want to fight you too Sarah," Natsu told the Void wizard.

"Challenge accepted," Sarah smirked.

* * *

"I swear," Gray started, looking out the window. "You're totally pathetic Natsu. One minute, you're picking fights, the next, you're reduced to this."

He was of course referring to Natsu's motion sickness, which said Dragon Slayer was being affected by as they travelled by train. It was a tight fit, but all of the team were in one booth. Sarah, Lucy and Erza were on one side, while Gray, Kione and Natsu were on the other, Happy was sat in Kione's lap.

"Must be tough for him getting from place to place," Lucy observed.

"Don't worry, I got just the spell," Sarah said. **"Hypnosis."**

A small wave shot from her palm, heading straight for Natsu, and he fell asleep without a sound.

"A sleep spell?" Lucy asked.

"Yup, Kione used to have a little motion sickness when she first started feeling vibrations, so travelling by train or cart was a nightmare," Sarah nodded. She glanced down at the sleeping firebreather. "I'll fill him in when he wakes up," She assured the group.

"Alright you two, time you filled us in," Gray said. "I mean, what kind of mission are we going on here?"

"Right, we have reason to believe that the dark guild Eisenwald are planning something big. I'm not sure exactly what exactly, but it has something to do with a magical item called Lullaby," Erza explained.

"Eisenwald? Lullaby?" Kione instantly picked up on those two words.

"Right sis, it's our miserable excuses for parents' guild, and it sounds like they finally got a seal breaker to liberate Lullaby," Sarah nodded, a look of controlled fury in her eyes.

"You two know some information about Lullaby?" Erza asked them.

"Yup. Lullaby is a murder by curse item, at least… it used to be," Kione said.

"Rumour has it, that the Black Wizard Zeref turned it into something _much_ worse. Far stronger." Sarah said. "It's now capable of mass murder."

"Are you certain of this?" Erza asked.

"Without a doubt. During the years they actually bothered raising us, our parents made absolute clarity that Lullaby was made for that purpose," Sarah nodded.

"Hold on, your parents were members of this dark guild?" Gray asked.

"Yup, they tried to twist us into following their footsteps, but we were smarter than they thought. We knew something was up," Kione spoke up.

"We overheard some folks speaking about Lullaby and a seal, and then we heard two words, both of which we didn't register until they had left," Sarah said.

"Eisenwald was the first," Erza cut in.

"And Erigor was the other," Sarah growled.

"Erigor?" Lucy asked.

"Right. The ace of Eisenwald. Erigor 'the Reaper'. He only accepts assassination contracts," Sarah nodded.

"He kills for money?" Lucy looked like she was about to be sick.

"I really wish we had realised who they were talking about sooner, we could have dealt with it and be finished with the problem," Erza said.

"So… what's the mission again?" Gray asked.

"We're taking down the Eisenwald guild," Both S-class wizards said at the same time.

* * *

"Can't believe he didn't give me a discount…" Lucy pouted. The train had pulled into a station, and she had bought some lunches, while trying to charm the staff member into a discount.

"You shouldn't use your body for such menial tasks Lucy," Sarah said, taking a bite from her blueberry sponge cake.

"Yeah well with rent being a thing, I can't exactly be a big spender," Lucy sighed. She took a small bite from a sandwich. "If you don't mind my asking… what magic do you two use Erza and Sarah?"

"Excellent question," Erza said.

"Erza's magic is really pretty! She makes her enemies bleed! A lot!" Happy spoke up, pausing the devouring of his fish.

"I don't know if I call that pretty," Lucy whimpered.

"Personally, if I had to call any magic pretty, it would be Sarah's or Gray's," Erza said, eating a piece of strawberry cheesecake.

"Oh? Like this?" Gray asked, he put his fist on top of his other palm, a blue magic circle appeared, before icy mists came from the fist.

When he opened his hand, he revealed an icy model of Fairy Tail's emblem. "I use ice magic," He said.

"Ice is pretty, but what about this?" Sarah asked, holding an open palm, and a Fairy Tail emblem appeared, this time made from a purple energy, which always seemed to swirl, with stars in it.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Void Magic, it grants me the power of the Void to crush my enemies," Sarah said. _And I hope I get to crush all of Eisenwald with it. It's time to clean the blight that name has put on me and my sister._

* * *

 **Sarah: Now it's our turn!  
**

 **Natsu: I'm all fired up now!**

 **Kione: Twice in a chapter, wow.**

 **Gray: You'll get used to it.**

 **All: Next time: Lullaby!**


	12. Chapter 12: Lullaby

**So, last night, I was watching the Microsoft Conference and other stuff at E3, and I am grinning like a maniac. Halo Infinite, Crackdown 3, Cyberpunk and Anthem all look amazing, and the Forsaken DLC for Destiny 2 looks breathtaking.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Lullaby**

 **Title Song: Invoke Magic - Fairy Tail OST**

* * *

"You think those Eisenwald chumps are still here?" Gray asked. The gang had gotten off the train at Onibas.

"I hope so," Sarah said.

"Um… hold on… aren't we one man short?" Kione asked.

"She's right… we're forgetting something important," Happy agreed.

At that moment, the train powered out of the station, and they all noticed Natsu with his head out the window.

"Help me _please!"_ He wailed as the train chugged away.

"There he goes," Happy sighed.

"You're kidding…" Kione muttered.

"Erza, you were meant to grab him on the way off, did everyone forget about him?" Sarah blinked.

"Maybe…" Gray rubbed the back of his head.

"Whatever," Sarah sighed, she took off her pack, and tossed it on Erza's carriage, "Take care of that." She then turned to their smallest team member. "Happy, I know I'm not your usual wingman, but give me a lift," She said to the blue cat.

"Huh?" He asked.

"We're going after that train, so we can pick up Natsu," Sarah said. "Can you do it?"

"Aye sir!" Happy grinned. He extended his two wings, and gripped Sarah's shirt with his paws. Then, with surprising speed and strength, he heaved her out of the station, following the tracks.

On the way, he got curious, "We could have made it easier by taking a magic-mobile, why go by air?" He asked.

"Just a horrible hunch," Sarah admitted. "I originally chalked it down to a bad feeling to do with Eisenwald, but I detected a strange magical power coming from the same carriage we were on."

"What kind of magic power?" Happy asked.

"The forbidden kind…" Sarah frowned. Her eyes widened, seeing the train had stopped ahead, with red lights lining the side of the track. "Looks like Erza pulled the emergency stop lever back at the station."

Her eyes widened further when she saw one carriage roof blow off partially.

"Jackpot. Natsu's kicking butt down there, I hope," Sarah gave a small grin. "Drop me down there," She said.

"Aye sir, good luck!" With that, he let go of her, and she dropped down through the damage, to land in a calm crouch between Natsu and a young man with black hair tied up in a spiky bob, narrow eyes, and wearing a white casual suit, with jacket, shirt and pants.

"Natsu, I'd get going before this ride gets rolling again," She said. "And if you didn't guess, that was an order."

"Sarah… no way, I saw him first," Natsu said, walking up next to her, a flaming fist at the ready.

"Alright… what's this chump's deal?" She asked.

"He's part of this Eisenwald group, and he's got some sort of flute thing, it's got a skull with three eyes," Natsu said.

"That's it… that's Lullaby…" Sarah growled. "You cracked the seal?! HOW!?" She demanded of the aggressor.

"It was child's play," The dark wizard gave a sly grin. **"Shadow Knuckle!"** A black shadowy tendril shot at her, with a fist on the end.

Sarah swatted it aside, her fist coated with the energy of the Void. "You dark wizard dumbasses never learn do you…" She sighed. "You don't mess with things you don't understand. That thing is dangerous, it can kill anyone who hears the music it plays."

"We know, that's why we're taking it," The man said. The three then grunted as the train started moving again. Natsu heaved, trying not to toss the breakfast he had this morning.

"I warned you," Sarah told her comrade. She gripped his arm, then threw him out the roof. She then shouldered his backpack, before getting ready to fight again.

 **"** **Shadow Tower!"** The man grinned, a sudden uppercut of shadows coming up from beneath her, throwing her out of the train car.

She landed by the side of the railway, and growled.

* * *

Sarah didn't have to wait long before a magic-mobile rolled up. Erza was driving, Gray was on the roof, holding on for dear life, while Lucy, Kione, Happy and a sick Natsu was in the back.

"What kept ya?" She asked impatiently.

"You kind of threw Natsu into Gray," Lucy pointed out.

"I did?" The void wizard blinked.

"Yeah, it hurt too," Gray grumbled.

"Oh yeah, Natsu, I have your backpack," Sarah said, taking the green bag off her back.

"I owe you a punch in the face for throwing me out of the train when we get back," Natsu frowned at her, taking his backpack and putting it in the back of the magic-mobile.

"Gray, get in the back of the car, I'm riding up top," Sarah instructed Gray. She then turned to Erza as she clambered up onto the roof. "Erza?"

"Yes Sarah?" The swordswoman asked.

"Foot to the floor," Sarah simply replied.

"Understood, hold on back there!" She nodded.

Everyone inside barely had time to buckle in before she willed the magic-mobile forwards at top speed. Sarah stood on the roof, arms folded.

 _If that flute is played… Erigor… you fool…_ Sarah thought.

* * *

It wasn't long before they found Eisenwald's trail, at Kunugi Station. Sarah woke up Natsu, and asked him to use his ears to listen to the situation below.

"Yep, a large group came through, led by a dude with a massive scythe," Natsu nodded.

"Damnit… that means we could be up against the entire Eisenwald guild…" Sarah said.

"They hijacked the train and headed in the direction of Oshibana," Natsu added.

"I understand a carriage or boat… but why a train?" Asked Lucy.

"They're fast," Kione pointed out.

"Yeah," Gray nodded.

"Erza, I'll take over driving from now on," Sarah said, "I can let you recover some magic power, since I've got a full tank now."

The redhead nodded, and the blonde slipped down into the driver's seat, and put the SE plug on her wrist.

"Hang on!" She called to her passengers, then slammed it to top speed.

* * *

The magic-mobile was soon racing into the streets of Oshibana, "Sarah, how's your magic power feeling?!" Gray asked.

"I'm fine! What's that ahead?" She asked in response.

Lucy glanced out the window, "Looks like a train in the station!" She observed, seeing a column of black smoke coming from the station.

Sarah slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt, and everyone piled out, Kione having to take a moment to get her bearings, while Natsu was draped over Lucy's shoulder.

"Sis… try not to drive too fast next time… the vibrations make me dizzy," Kione groaned, looking green in the face.

"Hey, we don't need two Natsus," Lucy told her.

The gang approached the station, where a massive crowd was being kept out by staff members. "Please remain here!" One spoke through a megaphone. "A derailment is going on inside, and we ask that no one enters the station until it is dealt with."

Erza approached a guard, "What's going on?" She questioned.

"Why should I tell you lady?" He grumbled. Big mistake, for Erza promptly headbutted him, and moved onto the next man.

Sarah sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder before she gave another man a concussion. "What's going on? We're from Fairy Tail."

The man decided to tell the two S-Class wizards everything they knew, and soon, everyone was running through the hallways of the station. "A detachment from the army went inside a few minutes ago, but they haven't been seen since," Erza said as they ran. "It's possible they came across the Eisenwald guild."

"Look up ahead!" Happy gasped. His cry caused everyone to pause.

"Oh no…" Sarah rushed forward towards where twenty men were lying unconscious or worse, they didn't know. Checking one man's pulse, she sighed with worry. "Dead… all of them." She closed the soldier's eyes out of respect.

"They came across the combined power of an entire dark guild, they didn't stand a chance," Kione sighed. Everyone paused for a second, honoring the dead men.

"We'll grieve later, come on, let's move on!" Erza ordered.

With those words said, the team pushed on.

* * *

"Welcome! Step into our parlour Fairy Tail flies!" Sarah's eyes darted up to the bare-chested, white-haired man that was sitting on the train, a huge wooden-handled scythe over his shoulder. Several blue tattoos lined is face and upper body.

"Come on Natsu, wake up," Lucy shook Natsu, trying to get him to his senses.

"Good luck, between the train, magic-mobile and your shaking, it's a motion sickness triple combo!" Happy muttered.

"I'm not a vehicle!" Lucy snapped at him.

"Hey you, get up, it's your fault I got in trouble with Erigor," Sarah noted the man from the train speak, before she focused completely on the bare-chested man.

"So… you're Erigor," Sarah glared at the man. "The 'Ace of Eisenwald'.

"My reputation proceeds me," Erigor gave a toothy grin.

"What are you planning fiend?" Erza asked.

Erigor chuckled, and lifted into the air. "He flew!" Lucy gasped.

"Wind magic," Happy observed.

Erigor landed on a pole with a couple of speakers on it, "Tell me, what do all train stations have?" He asked.

Sarah gasped, "You monster! You plan to broadcast Lullaby's song over the broadcasting system?!"

"Thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to the station to get a glimpse of the action, who knows, if I broadcast my melody of death loud enough, I may be able to extinguish the entire city!" Erigor grinned.

"And what have the innocents of this city done to deserve such a horrible fate?" Kione asked the man.

"This is a cleansing of all the fools out there who fail to appreciate the rights they hold so dear, who remain woefully ignorant to the plight of those who have had their rights stripped away!" Erigor explained. "They have committed a sin of turning a blind eye to this world's injustice."

"Hey! No blind comments!" Kione snapped.

"Therefore, the Reaper has come to punish them!" Erigor finished, ignoring the blind wizard's comment.

"But killing them isn't going to get your rights back, it's only going to make things worse!" Lucy pointed out. "That's the whole reason you were kicked out of your wizard league in the first place!"

"Don't bother with trying to make them see reason," Sarah told her fellow blonde. "Morons like them won't be deterred by such a thought."

"She's right, we gave up on regaining our rights," Erigor told them. "We want power, then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past and be able to take control of what happens in the future!"

"You guys are completely insane!" Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"We're rolling in a new wave of darkness, course, by the time it gets here, you flies will be long gone!" The man from the train said, sending several shadows at Lucy, which turned into several shadowy tendrils with fists.

"Look out!" Sarah gasped. No need, as a flaming fist smashed the shadows aside.

"You again?" The train guy said.

"Eisenwald dude!" Natsu grinned, on his feet in a flash. "I thought I recognised that voice!"

"You're back to normal?" Sarah asked the firebreather.

"Wow… looks like we got ourselves a party here huh?" Natsu said.

"No Natsu, these are the guys we have to fight!" Lucy pointed out.

"He knows that," Sarah pointed out. "That's _why_ it's a party."

"I'll leave them in your hands men!" Erigor said, floating above his guild. "Show them the true power of the dark guild Eisenwald!" With that, he vanished.

"He disappeared!" Lucy and Happy shrieked.

"Natsu, Gray, we're going after him!" Sarah said. "Erza, can we count on you to handle the cannon fodder?"

"Of course," Erza nodded. Both girls glanced back to see Natsu and Gray butting heads again.

"What did I say?" Sarah asked, not impressed.

"AYE!" Both saluted quickly, taking off, with Sarah in pursuit.

"Those three are going after Erigor!" A goon yelled.

"I'll handle them!" A man called out, wearing a yellow and black hooded cape over a white shirt and dark green pants, he threw several black binding tendrils up to the second floor railing, pulling him up. "I, the great Rayule, shall take them down!"

"I'm coming with you!" The man from the train said, a magic circle appearing beneath him. "That pink-haired dimwit is gonna pay!" He then faded into shadows.

"Wait up! I'll go too!" Another man called out, this one wearing a black shirt, pants and red jacket. "I'll track down that girl!" He said, sprinting for a side corridor.

"We'll catch up once we've finished the men here," Erza said.

"Three girls against an entire magical guild?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry Lucy, you'll learn that dark guilds only have a few strong members while most are pathetically weak," Kione said.

"Let's do this!" Erza called out, summoning her sword to her hand.

"It came out of nowhere! A magic sword!" Lucy gasped. Erza then went to work, slashing at the enemy with her sword, spear, then two short swords.

While Happy informed Lucy of the basics of Erza's requip, Kione detected a number of men approaching her.

"Shh, if we stay quiet, maybe we can catch the blind girl off guard," One whispered.

"I can hear you!" Kione called out. **"Repulse!"** She called, raising her hand and releasing a pulse of kinetic energy that blasted at them, knocking down several.

Kione then ran towards the group, **"Pins and Needles!"** She said, and suddenly they all collapsed.

"Hey! My legs don't work!" A goon yelled.

"Mine don't either! What'd she do to us?!" Another asked, as Lucy asked the same of Happy.

"Kione's Pins and Needles spell makes her enemies legs stop working for a very long time," Happy explained.

Lucy then blinked, "Guess I gotta join in too," She said. **"Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!"** She chanted, holding a golden key, a doorbell rang, before a human wearing a blue shirt with black stripes, black pants and boots and blue shades over his eyes. He also had slick black hair and six crab legs sticking from his back. He was armed with a pair of scissors, which carried the shape of his constellation.

"You need me to fight these guys baby?" Cancer asked.

"Yep, do it with style!" Lucy nodded.

Cancer went to work, shooting through a horde of men, cutting their weapons and their hair to nothingness. They were then quickly wiped out by a blast from Kione.

"Not bad Lucy!" Kione said.

"Indeed, very impressive," Erza nodded.

"Oh, it was nothing," Lucy said modestly. "Yes! I totally just scored points with Erza!"

"However," Erza added, "This crab spirit... the way he calls you 'baby'. I find that rather insulting."

"Points un-scored!" Lucy frowned.

"Damn… still plenty left," Erza grunted. "I thought I'd handled most of them…"

Kione observed she had a few more contenders coming for her as well. **"Compression!"** She said, bringing both hands together, manipulating the air around the men and compressing it, and them together, turning them into an entanglement of limbs. She then pulsed them into the far wall.

"Check it out! Her armour is disappearing!" The men panted like animals in heat, seeing Erza requipping from her Heart Kreuz armour.

 **"** **Heaven's Wheel Armour!"** She announced her armour's name, which was her metal breastplate, the wings, the exposed midriff, then the large skirt. "Dance my swords!" Several of her blades began rotating around her form.

"I knew it! I knew she looked familiar!" A goon with green hair gasped.

 **"** **Circle Sword!"** Erza cried out, a spinning wheel of several swords swiping away the remaining foes with a powerful force.

One last man tried to fight her, but he suddenly was eating dirt, as Kione lowered her hand, **"Flatten!"** She called out, the vibrations from her hand squishing the man into the ground.

"That's the Queen of the Fairies, Titania Erza!" The green haired man gulped, "I'm outta here!" With that, he took off.

"Lucy, Happy, why don't you chase after him, we'll keep an eye on the fodder," Kione told Lucy.

"S-sure!" Lucy nodded, and ran after him, followed by Happy.

Sensing her footsteps going further away, Kione's mind turned to Sarah, and she sighed, facing the direction she sensed her sister's vibrations.

 _Be careful…_ She thought.

* * *

 **Marcus: Lots of action this chapter!**

 **Sarah: And there's more to come, right?**

 **Marcus: Damn right!**

 **Both: Next time: Demon Slayers!**


	13. Chapter 13: Thunderstruck

**So, I apologise for my lacking of updates, so here, multiple updates!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Thunderstruck**

 **Title Song: Thunderstruck - ACDC**

* * *

Sarah, Natsu and Gray ran through the station corridors. "You know Sarah, I can take Erigor myself," Natsu pointed out.

"Maybe you could, maybe you couldn't," Sarah sighed, coming to a halt. "Erigor is strong. Stronger than he used to be…"

"You know him?" Gray asked. "How?"

"Because… my parents were part of Eisenwald. They were the keepers of the Lullaby, they knew where it was, but it was protected by incredibly strong seals and enchantments," Sarah said. "Me and Kione used to be members of Eisenwald as well."

"You used to be part of a dark guild?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, even back then, Erigor was a powerful member," Sarah said. "That was six years ago…"

"You joined Fairy Tail five years ago," Gray recalled.

"Listen up boys, I don't care which of you take him down, just do it for me and Kione, we've got to stop him before he plays a single note from that flute," Sarah said, turning to face both of them.

She turned back, and noticed the path split, "Looks like we're going to have to split up," Gray said.

Natsu went to face right, while Gray face left, Sarah then noticed a stairway, and decided she'd go that way. "Don't go dying, got it?" Sarah asked.

"You bet!" Natsu nodded.

"Later losers!" Gray took off in his direction, and Natsu did in his.

Sarah sprinted up the stairs, and found herself heading towards the engine shed, she was then halted, hearing several sounds from behind her.

Ducking to the floor, several blue bolts arced over her head. She turned to see one of the Eisenwald guild standing there, fingers raised. "You've got good reflexes," The man said. "They suit your amazing beauty."

"And who, pray tell, are you scum?" Sarah got up, folding her arms. "And refrain from flirting."

"You can call me Āku," The man said. "Now, face my **Kunai Bolt!"** He yelled, throwing three bolts at her like throwing knives.

Sarah ducked again, **"Vortex Pulse!"** She countered, by firing several orbs of void energy at Āku, who blocked them with a shield of blue lightning.

 **"** **Arc Wall!"** He called the name of his spell.

 **"** **Requip!"** Sarah then said, her hammer appearing in her hand. **"Vulcan's Hammer!"** Lightning magic sparked from the hammer.

"Interesting…" Āku muttered, observing the weapon. "It seems you have some control over arc magic as well."

"No, I just like the hammer," Sarah said. **"Hammer Spark!"** She yelled, throwing the hammer at Āku, slamming into his chest, and sending him shooting to the far wall.

"That's the spirit Fairy Tail fly," Āku grinned, getting up. "But, on order from Erigor, we've always been keeping tabs on you. Sarah Radcliffe."

"My name is Āku Narukami, I had a crush on you when you were a member of Eisenwald," The lightning wizard said.

Sarah was disgusted, this parasite was admitting he had a crush on her? "Get out of my way, I need to track your boss down and make sure he never thinks about causing trouble again."

"Do you now? You know… Erigor told me about your parents. Jūryoku Radcliffe, AKA, Jūryoku the Unmovable. Master of gravity magic and vibration magic and often used it to squeeze his contracts to pulp or pull them apart. Kuroikiri Radcliffe, Mistress of the Mist. Uses dark ice magic, loved to freeze her targets and make them suffer before putting them out of their misery," Āku said, almost as if reading the files of the two dreaded people that birthed Sarah and her sister.

"I'll also have you know that Erigor told us, that if we were able to, we would either capture, or kill the two of you," Āku said. "I hear that Erigor wanted to use that silver haired kid's head as the new headpiece on his scythe."

Sarah grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing to the point they were barely slits. "You, my unfortunate _bastard_ … have just made. A. BIG. MISTAKE!"

Āku blinked, but then felt her magic power swell three-fold. _Uh oh…_ He thought.

 **"** **Axion Bolt!"** She called, releasing two orbs that homed in on Āku, exploding.

 **"** **Devouring Drain!"** Sarah then rushed forward, palm lighting up with void energy.

"Not so fast!" Āku grunted. **"Thunderpunch!"** He yelled, rising to deliver a viscous punch, which would have broken her ribs, had Sarah not caught the punch with her stretched palm.

"Nice try," Sarah said, and Āku suddenly felt himself getting drained of energy.

"What… what're you doing to me?" Āku asked.

"Just making sure you don't cause trouble until the Rune Knights show up," Sarah told him. "Bye bye."

With that, her other hand curled into a fist cloaked in void energy, and she slammed it into the dark wizard, sending him flying into the wall. Sarah straightened her hair, before walking away. "Don't get back up," She muttered.

* * *

Kione sighed, using her Vibration Magic to follow the paths of Natsu, Gray and her sister, as well as the three Eisenwald wizards that chased after them. Erza had left a minute ago to warn the townspeople about the deadly threat that they were dealing with here, and Lucy and Happy were hunting for the fat wizard which had ran away.

Erza came back in, "It was all a trick," She scowled.

"A trick? You mean they trapped us here?" Kione asked. "If they're not broadcasting the song over the speakers… what's Erigor's plan?"

"I was about to ask one of them that myself," Erza nodded towards one of the grunts.

"No need," The two turned to the voice of Gray, who was above them.

"Gray? What are you doing here? I thought you were chasing after Erigor?!" Erza asked him.

"Forget that, I just found out that Erigor's real target is the next town over! He's heading to Clover to kill the Guildmasters!" Gray called down, his tone carrying all sorts of urgency.

Gray came down to their level, and the three sighed. "There's a small problem, the guy I fought said something about a wind barrier."

"I know, I've seen it, and it's as vicious as it seems," Erza said.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Gray asked. Kione frowned, had Erza taken some damage?

"Never mind me," Erza sighed.

Sarah then came back, and the team filled her in. "Damn it!" She yelled, kicking the wall. "We fell right into their trap!"

"Hang on Sarah," Erza said. "Remember back at the pub, how one of those Eisenwald wizards was saying he could break the seal of Lullaby?"

"He was the guy I saw on the train…" Sarah noted.

"A dispeller huh?" Gray said.

"Wait a minute… he probably went after Natsu! Come on!" Kione gasped, and everyone took off after the blind girl, who was using her magic as an echomap, giving her the route straight to where she sensed Natsu to be.

* * *

"Natsu!" Erza soon called out, and Kione now could tell solidly that he was fighting the unknown Eisenwald Wizard.

"Nice going you idiot!" Gray called out.

"Now back off, we need him alive!" Sarah instructed.

Erza got a sword out, piercing the wall a millimetre from the other wizard's head. "You will dispel the wind barrier, and you will do so without complaint!" She commanded.

"I'd do it man!" Natsu whimpered. "This woman is a real monster!"

"Fine, fine! I'll dispel it- URK!" Suddenly he jolted, and fell to the ground. Behind him, sticking out of the wall through a magic circle, was the fat wizard Lucy had been chasing, holding a dagger, which was coated with blood. "Why… Kuraka…?!"

"Kage!" Erza gasped, completely shocked.

"No! We need him alive!" Gray gasped.

Natsu looked as shocked, then he stared up at Kuraka, who was trembling in fear, "How could you do that to one of your guildmates?" He asked. His body was engulfed in flame, and he was _pissed._ "He was your friend and you tried to kill him!"

Sarah glanced up at him, she knew that Natsu had extremely strong morals when it came to guilds and how they treated each other. Natsu bulled through the wall, knocking out Kuraka with one blow.

Gray tore the rapidly bloodening shirt from Kageyama, then he froze the wound over with his ice. "It'll stop the bleeding, but he is going to need a doctor," He said.

"And by warning the whole town, I don't think there are any left in Oshibana," Kione noted.

"No! He can't die! He's our only way out!" Erza growled, about to throttle the poor man back to life.

Sarah glanced over, noticing the arrival of Lucy and Happy. "Wow, bad timing huh?" The Celestial wizard muttered.

"You don't know the half of it," Kione agreed.

* * *

The full team got to the front entance, where they could see the wind barrier roaring around the station. "What the heck is that?" Lucy asked.

As Happy filled her in, Natsu decided to give the brute force method a go, and was thrown back the second he connected with the barrier.

"Whoa…" Sarah gasped, seeing the barrier blow back Natsu. "Looks like it will tear us to shreds if we try that way."

Natsu didn't care, and threw himself at the barrier again and again. It was only the fourth time, when Lucy gripped tightly around Natsu's arms with her own.

"Stop it!" She begged. "Please…"

Natsu paused, and looked back at her.

"I know! We can use your spirits!" He suddenly said.

"What?" Lucy, Sarah and Kione asked.

"Back at Everlue's place, when I grabbed onto that freaky gorilla maid, I got pulled through the spirit realm to where you and Everlue were! So all we got to do is use that again!" Natsu grinned as if he had solved everything.

"That doesn't work! The only reason you were brought along with Virgo to Everlue was because he summoned her! And if we wanted to use that sort of power, another Celestial Wizard would need to be outside the barrier," Lucy told him.

"Gorilla Maid?" Sarah asked.

"Don't ask," Happy muttered. He then yelped out suddenly.

"I remembered what I was trying to tell you on the way here!" He gasped.

"Oh, when you called me weird and other names?" Lucy asked the small feline.

"Ta da!" Happy pulled a golden key out of his knapsack.

"How'd you get your paws on Virgo's key?!" Lucy screeched.

"Virgo asked me to give it to you after her contract with Everlue was broken," Happy explained.

"That's great and all, but we really need to be figuring out how to get after Erigor," Lucy sighed.

"But I-!"

"Shut UP!" Lucy yelled, stretching Happy's cheeks and making him stop. "Why can't you just meow like every other cat?!"

Sarah and the boys blinked. "She can be pretty scary," Gray observed.

"Must have got it from Erza," Natsu said.

"I've seen scarier, but she earns points for trying," Sarah shrugged.

"But I thought that since Virgo can tunnel underground, she could get us out of this mess," Happy cried, as Kione picked up the poor cat.

"She can?!" Erza and Sarah gasped.

"Summon her!" Kione was grinning.

"I'm sorry Happy, why didn't you say so in the first place!" Lucy begged for forgiveness.

"Because someone was pulling on my face!" Happy pouted.

"Look, this is all great, but can we get outta here and catch up with the insane bare-chested madman that wants to kill the Guildmasters," Sarah sighed.

"Ok," Lucy nodded, taking Virgo's key from Happy, then stepped away from the group and took a deep breath. **"I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits! And now, I beckon you to my side at once! Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"** She chanted, a golden magic circle appearing at the tip of the key, and a doorbell ringing out of nowhere.

Before Lucy appeared a young woman around Lucy's age, with pink hair that fell just short of her shoulders. She was wearing a black and white maid outfit, and for some reason, a pair of iron shackles were on her wrists. "You summoned me Mistress?"

The first thing that came to Lucy's mouth when she set eyes on her new spirit was: "Who are you?" She asked.

"What's up Burger," Natsu said, and his famous knack for forgetting names was back. "Man, you lost some weight."

"My name's Virgo," The maid said. "I apologise for any trouble I may have caused you."

"She didn't just 'loose weight' Natsu!" Lucy said.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked.

"I mean she's like a totally different person!" Lucy shrieked.

"I'm a very loyal spirit that will do anything to please her wizard," Virgo said. "So I take on whatever form my wizard will find most appealing."

"I dunno…" Natsu grinned, "I kinda liked it when you were all big and tough looking."

"Did you really?" Virgo asked. "Well then…" Suddenly, the cute maid was replaced by a massive mutation of a woman that had been squeezed into a maid outfit. "I can change back if you like," She said, her voice deeper now.

Sarah, Gray and Lucy all freaked out at such a sight, "No! Don't listen to him! I'm your wizard and I liked the other form better!" Lucy yelled.

"As you wish Mistress," Virgo was back as the beautiful young maiden, and everyone sighed with relief.

"I'm afraid we don't have much time, can we work out the contract later?" Lucy asked.

"Of course Mistress," Virgo nodded.

"Do you have to call me 'mistress' all the time?" Lucy asked with a groan. Sarah's eyes drifted to the whip coiled at her belt, and she had a feeling that might be why Virgo called her that.

"How about Queen?" Virgo asked.

"No."

"Princess?"

"Ooh, I like the sound of that one," Lucy nodded.

"Alright, enough messing around," Sarah said, out of patience.

"Right, Virgo, we need you to tunnel us a way out of that barrier," Lucy instructed her new spirit.

"At once!" Virgo nodded, bowing, before suddenly rocketing into the ground at an impressive speed.

"Wow!" Gray grinned.

"Nice job Lucy," Erza nodded, pulling the blonde into a hug. Unfortunately, that meant a face full of armour to contend with.

"Right, let's get going!" Sarah grinned, glad things were finally going their way. She then noticed Natsu putting Kageyama's arm around his shoulder.

"I know he's our enemy, but I'd feel guilty if we left him here to die," The fire dragon explained.

"Good man," Sarah grinned.

Soon, all of the team were outside, and it was this side where all the wind was blowing around. "Whoa! Looks like we made it out!" Gray called.

"Let's head towards Clover!" Erza suggested.

"Whoa! This wind is crazy!" Lucy called out with a yelp.

"Princess!" Virgo grabbed ahold of Lucy's skirt, holding it down. "I'll keep your panties from showing!" In doing so, the maid had completely disregarded her own dignity, and her own underwear was visible to all. Kione huffed and slapped a hand over a blushing Gray's eyes.

"It's no use…" Kageyama grunted behind them. "You'll _never_ catch up to Erigor! You can't stop us! We've won!"

Everyone glared at him, but then Erza realised something. "Wait a minute… where's Natsu?"

"Happy's missing too!" Gray observed. "And Sarah!"

Kione frowned, _You two had better not die on us…_

* * *

 _I see the town up ahead_ , Erigor muttered to himself as he shot across the Clover Canyon. "A bit further and I'll have revenge!"

He then looked back, hearing a yell from behind. "Hold it right there!" What he saw made him pause in shock.

"Betcha didn't know cats can fly at Mach speed did ya!" Natsu growled, holding onto Happy and using his own fire as a booster. Erigor narrowly dodged the two, but was completely decked by the sucker punch from behind.

Sarah hovered in the air, four wings of void magic holding her aloft. She then flew down, and floated next to Natsu, who was holding Happy in his arms. "Is he ok?!" She asked, alarmed at the blue cat's condition.

"You ok little buddy?" Natsu asked his partner.

"I'm just… so tired…" Happy mumbled.

"It's ok Happy, we'll handle things from here," Sarah told the blue cat.

The two wizards turned to Erigor, who was hovering in the air.

"You again…" He muttered. "How did you escape my wind barrier?"

"Sorry. Trade secret," Natsu said.

"Erigor the Reaper. I'll give you _one_ chance. Surrender the Lullaby and go home. If you comply, we won't have to pound your face in," Sarah told him.

Erigor eyed both with a careful eye. "You could never beat me you know," He said, directing the comment at Sarah.

"First time for everything," Sarah simply replied. "Natsu? I need you to trust me here."

The fire dragon glanced at her with a curious face, "Huh?"

"I know you wanted to face him, but please, let me take care of this," She said, not taking her eyes off her opponent.

Natsu wanted to object, to say he got there first, but something made him stop, and think.

 _She said that she was once a member of those Eisenwald jerks, and this guy said she never beat him before._ He nodded. "Alright Sarah, give him hell, I'll stand by in case he does beat you."

"Thanks Natsu," Sarah smiled. "Alright you punk, time to finally end the blight cast on my life!" With that, she thrusted forward with her wings, a void covered fist aiming for Erigor, who charged at her with his scythe.

* * *

 **Emma: I can just picture that shot in the anime, with Sarah shooting towards Erigor with her magic ready.**

 **Marcus: That's why I did it like that, to give the readers a mental image. By the way, I'm starting to think about what my characters' voice actors would be if they WERE in the anime. So far, I have a couple, such as Marcus' and Emma's, but still thinking about the others at this time.**

 **Emma: So, who would play as me?**

 **Marcus: Not spoiling it here.**

 **All: Next time: Closure!**


	14. Chapter 14: Closure

**Ok, I'm sorry for my silence as of late. I was on holiday up in Cambridge, Northumberland, Lincoln and some other places for two weeks. It was sunny, rainy, I got to see a B-52 Stratofortress and a SR-71 Blackbird at the Imperial War Museum, and it was amazing. I even got to set foot on Concorde!**

 **Not all of my absence was sunshine and rainbows though... while we were heading back towards home, at our last stop, we got word from my Aunt that my Uncle had passed away, thankfully with no pain. It wasn't the first funeral I had been to... but it's never easy, saying goodbye to those who you've seen for nearly every year of your life.**

 **But, life must go on, and so must the life of this story, as well as my other tales!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Closure**

 **Title Song: Setting Sun's Great Melee (Fairy Tail Dragon Cry OST)**

* * *

 **"** **Storm Bringer!"** Erigor yelled, a tornado shooting up below Sarah, who covered up from the attack, however, the power of the spell tossed her around in the air, before she recovered quickly mid-air, and prepared her counterattack.

 **"** **Void Magic: Wings!"** She yelled, her shimmering purple wings appearing on her back.

"Is that all you got?" She asked. **"Void Magic: Disintegration!"** She yelled, flying up to him with a purple fist. Erigor floated aside, but he hadn't expected the next move she made.

 **"** **Void Magic: Palm Strike!"** She said. Her other hand now flat and coming at him with void magic shrouded around it.

Erigor grunted as the strike connected with his chin, and he dropped to the ground.

Natsu watched Sarah face off with the crazy bare-chested windbag, going blow for blow with the Eisenwald wizard. "Who's winning?" Happy asked from in his arms.

"Dunno, they're pretty even at the moment… but Sarah's just getting started, just you watch," He said with a grin.

"Pesky fly, how are you not dead yet?!" Erigor demanded.

"I refuse to die at the hand of a coward who won't even face his problems head on. You want to make the Guildmasters pay? Why don't you challenge them directly instead of using some crappy flute!?" Sarah said.

"Fighting the guildmasters myself, or even with the entirety of Eisenwald at my back, would be suicide, besides, this way feels much more inhumane, more appropriate for a Reaper," Erigor said. "Let us see you block this one!" He said, his fingers crossing over each other. Several purple magic circles appeared, orbiting a big one.

"That stance… Sarah! Get out of the way!" Happy gasped.

"What's up?" Natsu asked his little buddy.

"If that spell hits… it could kill Sarah!" Happy explained, Natsu gasped, and looked back with worry.

 **"** **Emera Baram!"** Erigor roared.

A concentrated blast of wind blades shot forwards, and Sarah gasped, seeing the steel beams of the railway getting torn to shreds by the force behind this attack. She yelled in pain as the attack sliced at her skin.

"Sarah!" Natsu and Happy yelled, Natsu almost igniting at the sign.

When the attack let up, both were shocked to see Sarah drop to a knee, deeply panting and clearly in pain.

"Is… that… all you got?" She asked, getting to her feet, albeit a little shakily.

"Impossible! You should have been ripped to pieces!" Erigor gasped with fury.

"When it comes to Fairy Tail, you learn really quickly that impossible just isn't in our vocabulary," Sarah grinned, wincing in pain as she suddenly held her thigh, where blood was soaking through her clothes.

"Sarah!" Natsu called. "Come on, let me have a crack at him! I can tell you're not looking so hot!"

"No! I can still get him," Sarah said. "Stay there!" She commanded.

Natsu put Happy down, and shook his head. "Sorry, but I won't stand by and watch you get killed!" He said, running forwards. **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** His trademark punching attack missed, but it took Erigor's attention off Sarah.

"I have another challenger?" He asked. "Doesn't matter, all flies will be ripped to shreds and be blown away by my Soaring Phoenix Magic!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that pal!" Natsu leapt up. **"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** Flaming tendrils shot forwards from his arms, which he waved forwards like wings.

Erigor laughed, a barrier of wind magic blocking the flames. "You're out matched here, but you fight anyway? **Storm Bringer!"** He yelled.

Natsu was blown away by the tornado, but he was blown off the bridge by the attack, hitting several rocks on his way down.

"Natsu…!" Sarah grunted.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled in worry.

A second later, a column of fire shot up, followed by a flaming hand, which gripped onto the bridge.

Sarah and Happy grinned as the Fire Dragon slayer heaved himself back onto the track. "So that's what you were trying to teach me… thanks Macao…" Natsu muttered.

"No way… You finally got his Purple Flare didn't you?" Sarah asked.

Natsu nodded, "Yup, now…" He glared up at the dark wizard. "You must be pretty cold up there half naked! Want me to warm you up?" He asked with a grin.

"Your flames are powerless to me!" Erigor taunted.

"Oh yeah?! **Fire… Dragon… ROAR!"** Yelling at the top of his voice, he let out a massive torrent of pure flames.

 **"** **Storm Wall!"** Erigor quickly blocked the attack with a wall of wind. "Although your powers are impressive, they're still no match for me! Enough of all this cat and mouse. It's time to get serious."

Natsu just chuckled. "I'm ready when you are."

Erigor twirled his scythe. **"Storm Mail!"** He summoned a tornado, but it then enveloped him.

Natsu leapt up to him, as he flew down, however, the flames on Natsu's hand were blown out, and he was sent groundwards by Erigor.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the breeze?" Erigor taunted.

"Coward! You had to go surround yourself with a wind barrier didn't you?" Natsu growled. He grinned, fists lighting up again. "This will break through! **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He called out his favourite melee spell again.

Erigor caught the punch with a wind covered palm, which then put out Natsu's fire again.

"You don't get it yet do you? My Storm Mail attack blows wind outwards! Smothering your flames and leaving you defenceless completely!" Erigor laughed.

"What about the Void? **Void Magic: Shadowshot!"** Sarah called, leaping over Natsu and firing two arrows at Erigor with a bow of void energy, who dodged them both by flying up into the air.

"You ok?" Natsu asked her.

"Yeah, just had to catch my breath," Sarah nodded. "Look, I understand that you want to pound his face into the ground, and I know you prefer working alone in your fights, but not this time. Let's work together."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right…" Natsu said. He settled into a stance, "Ready?"

"Like you have to ask?" Sarah grinned.

Both sprang into action, " **Void Magic: Vortex Pulse!"** Sarah said, firing several orbs of the void at Erigor, who swatted them aside by extending the wind around his arm.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** Natsu cried out, trying again with the tendrils of fire. However, like his previous attacks, it just fizzled out.

"I get it now… the wind is putting out your flames, you physically can't touch him," Sarah observed.

"I can't give up yet!" Natsu growled.

 **"** **Storm Shred!"** Erigor released a spell, thousands of sickles of wind shooting towards them both, cutting through them with ease.

Natsu quickly recovered, rocketing up, but being blown back by Erigor's winds.

The wind wizard yelled. "This will be the end of you! **Emera Baram!"** He roared, the blast of wind hitting Natsu and sending him flying back into Sarah. Both landed in a heap behind Happy.

Natsu just growled, getting up, and grabbed the rail next to him, igniting. "No! What's wrong with me!?" He cried out. "I have to beat him!"

Everyone just watched the fire wizard as his flames kept increasing in power.

"I don't believe it…" Happy muttered. "He's actually changing the direction of the wind!"

Sarah gasped, "I… think I know what's happening…" She said, walking over to Happy. "Hey… rile him up."

She shook her head. "Giving up so soon Natsu?" She asked, disappointment in her voice.

"Natsu, you stink, you should let Gray or Erza handle him, because clearly you can't do a thing to him," Happy spoke up.

Silence hit the bridge for three seconds, before Natsu exploded. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" He yelled.

"I think he said let Gray or Erza beat him," Sarah pointed out.

Natsu roared, before he ripped the steel beam apart.

"Flames of Emotion?!" Erigor asked in shock. "It's an ancient technique! Where did this kid learn how to use it?!"

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Sarah asked the Wind user.

Natsu scowled at Erigor, and Sarah silently prepared to pounce.

The fire wizard poised to strike, before he sprang forward, and Sarah quickly fell in next to him. **"Fire Dragon Sword Edge!"** He yelled, covered in flames from head to toe.

Sarah, likewise, coated herself in the energy of the void. **"Void Magic: Fallen Comet!"** She called. Both headbutted Erigor, rocketing into the air before landing shakily. Erigor did not have such a graceful landing, face first in the dirt.

As Natsu and Happy had an argument over the barbs Happy had slung his way, Sarah noticed the Lullaby Flute lying by Erigor's foot. Carefully, she picked up the forbidden item, and sighed. "This is the cause for all mine and Kione's suffering…" She grunted. "How easily it would be to destroy you here and now… but I'll bring you before the Council to decide your fate. Stupid flute."

Suddenly, she could hear the faint approaching magic mobile, and smiled, seeing the rest of the team dismount, Lucy helping a woozy Erza down from the driver's seat. "You did it!" Kione smiled.

"Well, was there any doubt?" Asked Sarah.

She then noticed Kageyama limping up behind Gray. "This is what the power of a light guild can get you!" She held up the Lullaby. "It's over, we win."

The group gathered around the unconscious Erigor. "Way to go you pyro, that will be another bill to the Master," Gray pointed to the melted steel beam.

"Hey, it's what helped us win, so shut your trap," Sarah pointed out.

"Either way, well done, both of you," Erza pulled both Natsu and Sarah into a hug, however, it was on her breastplate, so it hurt.

Sarah shook her head, "You'll give a concussion one day doing that."

Suddenly, she felt something grab the hand holding Lullaby, and she was suddenly heaved into the air. "Give me that!" Kageyama grunted, a shadowy hand taking the flute from her, before throwing her back to the ground.

The injured shadow wizard was in the drivers seat of the magic mobile, and it leapt over the whole group. "Shouldn't have let your guard down flies!" The man laughed.

"Jerk!" Lucy muttered. "We save his life and this is how he repays us?!"

"I'm going to kill him," Sarah fumed, pulling her face out of the dirt.

"After him!" Erza commanded, and the team ran along the bridge towards Clover.

* * *

"There he is!" Lucy pointed, spotting the bandaged wizard holding the flute… right next to Makarov.

"And he's with the Master!" Erza gasped.

Sarah was about to charge up a Nightmare Cannon, when she noticed something. "Stand down," She said, arms folded.

"Huh?" Asked Lucy.

"Just listen," Sarah smiled, leaning back to a tree.

"She's right, we're just getting to the good part," A sudden voice startled Lucy, and everyone, bar Kione, turned to see a fat, bald man wearing a purple spaghetti-strap shirt with a gold and fuchsia hoop necklace and a vertically striped pink and purple pair of shorts. He even had red lipstick on and blush on his cheeks. He has two white wings on his back as well.

"Guld Master Bob, good to see you sir," Sarah waved casually.

"Sarah honey, look at you all grown up, and Kione, you're progressing nicely in all the right places as well," Bob smiled, before scooping up Gray and Natsu in his arms. "Aren't you boys all yummy looking!"

Lucy just looked disturbed, "Who's the fat guy?" She asked.

"Guild Master Bob of Blue Pegasus, although he may not look it, he's an incredibly strong wizard," Erza explained.

"Would you kids keep it down, you'll miss the best part!" A slim man called over, he looked in his mid-fifties. He had several wrinkles around his square face, however, his hair was a youthful looking blonde in a straight cut. A pair of black sunglasses covered his eyes. He was wearing a black plain t-shirt and matching pants, and the most prominent feature of his attire was the pointy black hat on his head, with a red band that had several spikes at the base. His neck had the same feature as a collar.

"Master Goldmine of Quattro Cerberus," Kione observed, recognising the voice of the man, who put a hand on her shoulder.

"Good to see you haven't lost faith in yourself kid," The man smiled.

Everyone looked down to where Kageyama was hesitating to play the killing song in his hand.

"Nothing will change," Makarov said. "You can't change the fact that those who are weak will forever remain weak. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, we humans are weak creatures by nature. Out insecurities are the reason guilds exist, and they're why we have friends. When we're surrounded by allies it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way, if we're clumsy we might stumble and fall into things, but as long as we have faith in our future, we continue marching forward. Our inner strength emerges on its own. But we have to choose that path, and pledge to live our own lives to the fullest. Don't let that silly flute get in the way."

The kind and moving words of Fairy Tail's Master shook the hearts of everyone there, none more than the other members of Fairy Tail themselves. Lucy was wiping away tears. Natsu and Gray bumped a fist together, and Sarah pulled Kione into a one armed hug.

"Amen," Sarah couldn't have said it better than that. "I love that guy."

Kageyama also seemed to have been effected by Makarov's speech, and dropped to his knees in defeat, the flute landing with a clatter. He held his head low.

"I surrender." He said.

"Trust Gramps to stop a dark wizard by talking to him," Sarah laughed, as the group ran down to join the small man.

"Master!" Erza called out.

"You did it!" Natsu grinned.

"Way to go!" Kione laughed.

"Good job Gramps," Gray said.

Makarov just blinked, not expecting this. "Wha? How'd you kids get here?" He asked.

He then cried out in pain as Erza hugged him, which, just like what happened to Sarah and Natsu, the old man was impacted by Erza's armour.

"Master Makarov," Erza smiled. "Your words touched me so deeply they almost drove me to tears!"

Sarah took Makarov into a hug of her own, and he sighed in relief as his head rested against her chest. "Thank you Master," She smiled warmly. She turned to the flute, and charged up an orb.

 **"** **I have grown tired of you cowardly wizards and your antics!"** A voice boomed, and Sarah's eyes narrowed, glaring at the flute which was spitting out a black smoke.

A massive magic circle appeared over the entire town, with more smoke coming from the flute, which then flew up to the Magic circle, sparks of lightning forming as well.

 **"** **I will no longer hold back!"** The voice spoke again. **"I will come forward to devour all of your souls!"** A twenty foot tall monster made of the same material as the flute now materialised, with the same three eyes that were on the skull.

 **"** **I will feast on your pitiful souls!"** It roared.

"It's huge!" Lucy gaped.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Happy shrugged.

Sarah's fists clenched. This was what her parents had been keeping locked away? Did they even know what they had unleashed?

"What the hell is that thing?!" Kageyama yelled. "Erigor never said anything about a monster!"

"He probably never knew," Sarah muttered. "These kind of things pop up all over the place if you know where to find them."

"We're in a pickle," Bob muttered.

"It must be a demon from the Book of Zeref," Goldmine voiced up.

As they stood there, many of the Guild Masters had taken to retreat, running from the conference hall to escape the massive monster.

"Why did the flute turn into a monster?" Lucy whimpered.

"It must be Lullaby's true form," Sarah said.

"She's right, it's forbidden black magic. Living Magic. Zeref's specialty," Goldmine agreed.

"Zeref? As in the 'Black Wizard Zeref'?" Kione asked.

"Living Magic?" Erza asked.

"Who's Zeref?" Gray asked. "Wasn't he some sort of ancient wizard?"

"Gray, Zeref was the most powerful dark wizard Earthland has ever seen. He lived 400 years ago," Sarah said.

"Which is why I never thought I would see the day some of his work pop back up again," Bob said.

 **"** **Now then… which of these delectable souls shall I dine on first?"** Lullaby asked.

Fairy Tail's wizards stepped forwards, ready to defend themselves if Lullaby made a move against them.

"Delectable huh?" Natsu asked. Then he smiled, "Do you think souls really taste that good?" He asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Gray asked, looking annoyed.

"Always thinking about eating!" Lucy sighed, also annoyed.

"That's Natsu, always thinking with his stomach instead of his brain," Kione sighed.

Sarah just snorted in amusement. Trust Natsu to lighten the mood with a simple comment.

"Natsu, Gray, Sarah, Kione, get everyone to safety," Erza said.

"Quit barking orders," Natsu said, surprisingly brave.

"Yeah, you're not the boss of us," Gray agreed.

Sarah glared at Erza, "Don't tell me you're planning on fighting that thing alone?" She demanded.

Erza's lack of an answer gave Sarah hers. "Who do you think you are? You don't stand a chance against that demon alone!" She said.

"And besides, the Masters can take care of themselves," Kione added. "So stop trying to play the lone hero."

"Lucy, Happy, get back, this could get ugly," Gray said.

"Right, we don't want you to get hurt," Natsu nodded.

Suddenly, the demon let off a massive beam attack towards another mountain, and suddenly whistles and screaming could be heard from that direction. For a second, Sarah had wondered who it could be. She then heard retreating. Oh, it was the Fiore Army... and they ran away.

 **"** **I have no need for those pathetic humans,"** Lullaby growled. **"I prefer the taste of a wizard's soul, and I am going to consume all of you!"**

Sarah, Erza, Gray and Natsu all glared up at the demon, while Kione stood behind them, all ready to fight, their magic power beginning to swell.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try!" Natsu taunted. "Bring it on big guy!"

"Good luck!" The Guild Masters had retreated to the next hill behind them, and watched with worry.

"Cowards…" Sarah mumbled.

"Can those five really defeat that monster all on their own?" Lucy asked.

"You should help them," Happy reminded her.

"Normally I would, but none of my Celestial Spirits are available at the moment," Lucy admitted. "That and I would probably just get in the way."

"Oh yeah, good excuse!" Happy said.

"Don't judge me cat!" Lucy snapped at him.

The demon made a roar, a large magic circle appearing above it. Sarah narrowed her eyes at the gesture.

"Listen, I have a plan," Kione muttered. Everyone glanced at the Vibration wizard.

"Go on," Sarah said.

"It's still a flute right? So all we have to do to stop that song playing is to punch as many holes as we can into it, then the song can't play!" Kione said.

"Good idea," Gray nodded.

"I see, then that's our plan of attack," Erza nodded.

Everyone nodded in unison, facing the demon once more, before Erza summoned her swords.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Oh yeah!" The boys nodded.

"Let's rock!" Sarah and Kione added.

All five sprang into action, Natsu, Gray and Erza charging straight towards Lullaby.

Sarah held out her arms, **"Void Magic: Vortex Pulse!"** She called out, firing lots of the small orbs at the demon in random places.

Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armour, releasing her swords with a cry of **"Scattered Petals!"** Swords shot towards the same areas that Sarah had hit, piercing right through.

Gray took a turn next, his fist on his palm. **"Ice Make: Lance!"** Several icy projectiles screamed towards the demon, stabbing up and down the arms.

Natsu grinned, bumping his fists together, "Now it's my turn! **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He yelled, punching the demon square in the face.

 **"** **You're making me angry!"** The demon yelled, punching towards them, however, they easily dodged the titan's attack by leaping aside.

"Ah, there you are," Kione said. The punch had made a vibration, which pulsed through the ground, and the moment the fist hit the ground, she could see the demon's exact position.

She took a deep breath, **"Vibration Magic: Repulse!"** She called out, several blasts of compressed vibrations shooting towards the demon, which punched fresh holes into it.

Sarah noticed the demon roar, and the plants at her feet wilting away. "I really hope that plan worked, or we're demon food."

"I'm not done yet!" Natsu suddenly roared, throwing his arms back. **"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** the flaming waves burnt fresh holes in, just as more icy spears shot through the spots he had hit, courtesy of Gray's Ice Make Magic.

"I got something for you too!" Sarah said. **"Void Magic: Dark Swords!"** She climbed Lullaby's leg, a blade on each of her wrists cutting into it's wooden flesh as she ascended to the demon's waist, where she leapt back off, landing next to Erza.

 **"** **Just one note and your souls are mine!"** Lullaby yelled, and it played the song…

Or it would have, but all that happened was a faint whistling, like a balloon deflating slowly.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing happened!" Happy said, earplugs in his ears.

"Looks like it worked Kione," Sarah sighed with relief. No one was dying thanks to Lullaby's song.

 **"** **I don't understand! Why can't I play my melody of death?"** Lullaby shouted.

"It must be because of all those attacks!" Kageyama realised.

"They punched so many holes into that thing that it totally messed up the sound!" Lucy caught on. "All that build up for this? Talk about going out with a whimper!"

"Yeah, flutes are pretty lame to begin with," Happy muttered.

 **"** **You dare mock me!"** Lullaby kicked the top off a mountain with rage.

Gray was suddenly in front of the Guild Masters, Lucy, Happy and Kageyama as the demon let out a beam of energy that left a delayed explosion. **"Ice Make: Shield!"** He called out, a lotus shaped shield appearing before them, blocking the fiery explosion.

"That boy's maker magic is spectacular," A guild master observed.

"What's maker magic?" Asked Lucy.

"It's users can give magic a tangible form," Happy explained, "However, there's another type of magic that can destroy it."

His comment left Lucy wondering what magic he spoke of.

 **"** **I will kill you all!"** Lullaby roared.

The fire created by the earlier attack then was downed by Fairy Tail's resident pyro. "Oh yeah?" Natsu taunted once he had finished. "Now I've got a fire in my belly!" He grinned.

 **"** **You're no human! You're a monster!"** The demon roared.

"Oh yeah? Look who's calling the kettle black!" Sarah called up.

Erza changed armour, now wearing black armour with silver trimming. It was a revealing silver-edged breastplate and plates flanking her hips that reach down to her waist guard. The waist-guard left her front exposed, except for a black pair of underwear. Two large plates cover her legs, and two wings with arms as their leading structure.

"Wow, her armour is lovely," Another master said.

"It's her Black Wing Armour, and it increases her speed and attack power!" Happy explained.

"Come on Gray, let's not be left out of this!" Kione called. **"Vibration Magic: Shockwave!"** She called, focusing the epicentre of her attack at the demon's feet, which knocked it onto a knee.

 **"** **Ice Make: Saucer!"** Gray sent a pair of razor-sharp icy buzzsaws that ripped through the demon, just as Erza slashed it's face.

"Natsu! Let's end it together!" Sarah called out.

"You got it!" Natsu nodded. **"The flames of my right hand, and the flames of my left! Put the two together and this is what you get!"** He slammed two fireballs, one in each hand, together, a massive ball of flame now above his head.

Sarah took a massive deep breath, settling into a stance, her arms out behind to her left, and a small orb of void energy formed in the centre. **"Ultimate Void Art!"** She called out.

"Wait… is she…?" Gray gasped.

"She is!" Erza nodded.

"What spell is she casting?" Lucy asked nervously.

"The best one she has!" Happy gulped.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"** Natsu lobbed the massive ball of fire down.

 **"** **Nightmare Cannon!"** Sarah called out, thrusting the small orb out in front of her, a massive laser of Void Magic coming from the tiny source. The beam ripped through Lullaby's torso, just as Natsu's Brilliant Flame attack landed, hitting Lullaby directly in the nose.

"Well done," Makarov nodded firmly, his hands behind his back.

"You're amazing!" Bob cooed.

"You kids made defeating a demon from the Book of Zeref look easy," Goldmine shook his head with amusement.

"Just another day as a Fairy Tail wizard," Sarah sighed, finally able to drop onto her butt, exhausted.

"You ok?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, that's the first time I've used that spell to it's full power," Sarah panted. "It seems to take a lot out of me."

"I can't believe how strong they are!" Kageyama muttered, watching as Lucy helped Sarah to her feet. "Are all Fairy Tail wizards this powerful?"

"There's no doubt about it, this really is the strongest team!" Lucy giggled.

"Sorry, but I can't be part of this team," Kione sighed.

"Why not?" Natsu asked.

"I'm a member of Team Shadow Gear, remember? I'd break Levy's heart if I left her alone with Jet and Droy," Kione chuckled.

"No offence to you guys, because you're great, but I prefer working alone," Sarah yawned.

"Well, I think we should head home," Happy said. He had been the only one who noticed, but now, everyone turned.

"Well, I have no idea what just happened, but it appears we owe a big thanks to the Fairy Tail guild," Goldmine chuckled.

"Although, it must be said…" Bob observed, everyone then finished his sentence.

"They went overboard!" The entire Guild Master's league said, as they looked at a massive gaping crater in the ground.

Lucy was first to shriek, "The conference hall! It's gone!" Lucy gasped.

"Aye! There's also a couple of mountain tops missing!" Happy beamed.

Makarov suddenly looked very ill. Sarah picked up the small master, "Right, no more lollygagging, RUN!" She yelled, all of a sudden full of energy again.

Everyone else took off after her, with the Guildmasters all glaring after the young group. "Sorry about your conference hall!" Kione called back.

* * *

 **Sarah: So, looks like that's the end of the Lullaby Arc!**

 **Marcus: Goldmine was right, you Fairy Tail guys made that look easy.**

 **Sarah: Well, it's over now.**

 **Emma: And now, by the looks of things, the story is shifting back to Cait Shelter for a new adventure.**

 **Wendy: So, what's on your mind?**

 **Marcus: I'm uh... thinking of something...**

 **All: Next time: Paths Will Cross!**


	15. Chapter 15: Paths Will Cross

**Alright, time for another chapter! And before you continue, I thought I would announce something great.**

 ***Ahem* I GOT A JOB! *Applause!* It's nothing special, working in a call center for John Lewis' technical support. It means getting up at absurd times, but if I can earn some dough, then it's worth it.**

 **Anywho, this chapter will mark a great occasion in the story, and I'll wait to grin at the bottom, although the title might have something to do with it.**

 **Either way, on with the show!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Paths Will Cross**

 **Title Song: Can't Escape From Crossing Fate - Blazblue Cross Tag Battle OST (Persona Ver.)  
**

* * *

The sun came over the trees, entering the window and falling upon the feline form of Melody. The cat yawned, and sat up in the little hammock which she slept in. Summoning her wings, she dropped to ground floor, and went to the bathroom of hers and Marcus' home.

Splashing some water on her face, she took a quick shower, and then dried off and got dressed in a blue kimono with a black ribbon around the waist, and black tights under the waist. Lastly, she put her favourite blue bow on her tail, and she smiled, walking to the guild hall.

Melody would do this every morning. Marcus would have left for his morning patrol, and would be back in an hour or so. As she walked to the guild hall, Melody smiled, seeing the faces of the villagers and members she had grown to know. "Morning Melody!" She heard, and turned to see Wendy and Carla coming from their house.

"Wendy, Carla. Good morning to you as well," Melody beamed. She liked Carla like a twin sister, even though they couldn't possibly be such. As for Wendy, she saw the blunette as an older sister, who was kind and patient.

"I was going to head to the guild hall for some breakfast, want to come?" Melody asked.

"We were thinking the same, and then maybe we would see about taking a job," Carla nodded.

"I'm sure Marcus and Emma would be up for it," Melody said.

The girls entered the guild hall and headed for the bar. Carla and Melody hopped up after adjusting their stools, and they ordered their preferred breakfast.

Melody asked for the morning soup with a small glass of milk, Carla had some Darjeeling Tea next to some soup, and Wendy had a fruit salad with a bubbly strawberry milkshake.

Soon, Marcus returned to the guild, and he wasn't alone. By his side was a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and soft red eyes. She was a short girl, standing at around Emma's height of 4' 11'', and she had a slim figure.

She wore a sleeveless light-green shirt with a yellow trim. Below the waist were a pair of white shorts. On her feet were a pair of tan sandals. She carried a small purse from her left shoulder, which was a similar green to her shirt, with a floral pattern on the strap.

Melody watched him walk up to the master, with the girl in tow. "Master," he nodded.

"Good to see you Marcus, and how was the patrol?" Roubaul asked.

"Well, since Daiki put that monster deterrent up, it's been much more quiet than usual, I gotta say, the route's been nice without Vulcans and such in the way," Marcus said.

"And who is this young lady?" Roubaul asked.

Marcus nodded to the girl, who stepped up. "It's a pleasure to be here," She said, bowing her head slightly, "My name is Emi Haname," She introduced herself.

"Well Emi, I'm Roubaul, Master of Cait Shelter, welcome," The old man said. He turned to the bar, "Pass the stamper please!" He called out.

Melody took the stamp from Lana, and she then tossed it to Marcus. "Where do you want it?" The dragon slayer asked.

Emi thought about it, then pointed to the back of her left hand. "In green please," She asked.

"Sure thing," Marcus pressed the stamp on her hand, the emblem on the handle glowed, before the magic took effect.

When he lifted it, there was a new green emblem on her hand.

"Welcome to Cait Shelter," He smiled. Melody turned back to her breakfast, and took a sip of her milk.

"Morning guys," Emma had arrived, and sat down beside her, getting a smattering of greetings from those around her.

After breakfast, Marcus walked over to the job board, and his eyes combed each flier with care.

Wendy stepped up next to him, "Want to go on a job together?" She asked.

"A job for Team Freezing Sky should work," Marcus nodded, as Carla, Melody and Emma walked over.

"Sorry bro, but Master wants me to escort the supplies from Cait Shelter to Clover for the market," Emma said, "Dan and Alicia as well, and Daiki's on a job," With that, she headed over to where her impromptu team was waiting.

"Huh…" Marcus muttered.

Melody then took a job off the wall, "How about this one?" She asked.

"Let's see," Wendy said, and they put it on the table behind them.

* * *

 **The town of Juniper is desperately asking for aid from any magic guild that can spare the wizards. However, due to the size of the problem, we will accept teams from two different guilds. We will pay both guilds the exact same reward, but we need help as soon as possible.**

 **Reward: 700,000 J**

* * *

"That's big pay," Melody whistled. "Someone has a big wallet."

Marcus sighed, "It will feel different without Emma, hmm… hey, Emi," He turned to their newest member, who was talking with Lana.

"Hmm?" Emi asked.

"How confident are you with your magic?" He asked.

"I have a few combat spells, but I'm not the most amazing fighter," She admitted.

"Then how about you tag along with us? We could do with a fifth person for our team," Melody offered.

"What's the job?" Asked Emi. She looked at the flier, and looked nervous. "I don't know… I probably would just get in the way…"

"I was just like you when Marcus took me on his first job here," Wendy smiled. "Believe me, the best teacher is experience."

Marcus went over to Lana, "We're going to take this job," He said, showing the paper to her.

"Alright, remember, you're gonna be working with another guild, so try to get along with them," Lana said, noting the job down in a book. "Emi, be careful ok?" She asked.

"Don't worry, we'll keep her safe," Marcus put a hand on her shoulder, and Wendy held her opposite hand.

* * *

When they got to Clover however, they got a surprise. "What the hell happened here?" Melody asked. She was of course referring to the missing mountains, massive crater.

A passerby heard the comment, "You don't know? Salamander, Titania, Daughter of Darkness and a couple other wizards from Fairy Tail saved the Guild masters, but they blew up the conference hall when they battled a giant demon thing."

"Salamander was here?" Marcus asked. "Man… I wish I had seen him in action."

"I've heard that he's a fire dragon slayer…" Wendy said. "I wonder if he knows about Grandeeney."

"Who knows, maybe one day you'll get to ask him," Carla said.

"Either way, you know why the train to Oshibana is out?" Emi asked.

"Salamander's behind that too, apparently, he fought somebody on the viaduct," The man said.

"Huh…" Marcus sighed, "How the hell are we supposed to get to Oshibana to catch a train to Juniper now?"

"We can fly two of you there with a break maybe, but one will be left behind," Melody suggested.

"No problem," Wendy smiled, and raised a hand, **"I call upon thy strength! The rightous courage to lift to the heavens!"** A magic circle appeared underneath the two cats. **"POWER!"** She called out.

Both gasped, "Whoa… I feel way stronger…" Melody said.

"What did you do to us child?" Carla asked.

"It's an enhancement spell for increasing one's strength," Wendy said. "You should have the strength for lifting the three of us no problem."

Melody gripped onto Marcus' shoulders, and he then held Emi in his arms, Melody found it to be no problem to lift the two up.

"Alright! Let's rock and roll!" Marcus grinned.

* * *

Juniper was a rather large town on the southern coast of Fiore, and was the furthest that anyone as a part of Cait Shelter had gone. Even with Wendy's enchantment, it took a while for the team to make it to Kunugi Station, where they caught the train to Juniper.

Melody sat on Marcus' shoulder, and Carla was in Wendy's arms, as the team of five exit the station and walked into the town. Everywhere they looked, the people looked defeated and carried no morale. Marcus led the way to the biggest building in town, and knocked.

The door opened, and Marcus was surprised to see a little girl standing on the other side. "Uh…" She said. This was echoed by Marcus.

Luckily someone wasn't frozen, and Emi crouched down slightly, "Hi there, does the mayor live here?" She asked.

The girl nodded.

"May we see him?"

Another nod.

"Can you take us to see him?"

A third nod. The girl opened the door, and let everyone in, before closing it again. The girl led them through the house, towards a double door, which she opened. "Daddy, these people want to see you."

Marcus looked at the man, a thirty-something aged gentleman with brown hair and a goatee. He wore a grey business suit over a red shirt with a black tie. "Can I help you?" He asked the group. He turned to the child. "Thank you, Hannah. Please, go play in your room for a bit." The girl nodded and left the room again.

"More like can we help _you?_ We're from Cait Shelter, answering your request about needing aid?" Marcus asked him.

"Someone responded to my request? Thank you!" The man gasped with amazement. He then cleared his throat. He was about to speak again when the door opened again.

Marcus, Wendy, Emi, Melody and Carla turned, coming face to face with five people, who had been led in by Hannah again.

A tall man wearing a brown coat with a tall brown and tan hat.

A man wearing a white shirt with a cross shaped yellow bandolier.

A young woman wearing an orange dress with blue hair.

A silver haired girl wearing a gold blindfold over her eyes and a silver coat with coattails.

And a blonde woman wearing a black leather jacket over a purple top.

"Huh? Who are these guys?" Asked the guy in the white shirt.

The blonde's eyes seemed to lock on to Emi, and down to her hand, where her guild emblem was.

"You must be the other team that answered to the request," She realised.

"We are. We're from the Cait Shelter guild, you?" Marcus asked.

In response, the woman lifted her shirt slightly, revealing a purple emblem on the left. When Marcus saw it, his eyes widened, uttering two words.

"Fairy Tail."

* * *

The mayor cleared his throat again, as the two teams sat or stood comfortably. "Thank you both for coming. My name is Nick Vander, mayor of Juniper town."

"What's the situation? On our way here, I sensed… sadness and trauma," The blue haired girl from Fairy Tail asked.

"A weeks ago, a citizen from our village went missing. We looked everywhere for them, but couldn't find them. A few days after she vanished, fog rolled in, and the following morning, she was found dead, hanging from a chimney stack," Vander said.

This caused everyone to gasp, "This person was found dead, hanging from a chimney? How odd," Sarah muttered.

"Worse still, since the first one happened, more and more have died, all by similar means. There is a murderer in our town, and we ask that you provide aid by any means to bring him or her to justice."

"Sir, Fairy Tail will proudly take the job," Sarah nodded.

"As will Cait Shelter," Marcus agreed.

"Thank you, before you begin, I need to be quite honest… my other daughter was the most recent disappearance… please, figure out this, and…"

"We understand, she will return without a scratch," The orange haired man nodded.

"You can count on us," The other Fairy Tail man agreed.

"Sir, to help us with our investigation, we'll need you to provide us with the addresses of those who died, or of their family members, also those who found the first body."

"Of course, I will have my staff deliver the requested materials to your hotel," the mayor nodded. "And if you need anything else to find this monster, let me know."

The ten wizards gathered in the boys room of the nearby hotel. "So, I figure that since we will be working together, we should get to know each other," Marcus stated. "I'm Marcus, an Ice Wizard."

"I'm Wendy, I use support magic and sky magic," Wendy said.

"I'm Emi, I use Nature magic," This seemed to get the attention of the white shirted young man.

"My name is Carla, this is Melody, the two of us use Aera magic," Carla said, and Melody nodded.

"You both look like a member in our guild," The blue haired girl said. "I'm Levy, I use Solid Script Magic, and I admit that I'm a bit of a bookworm."

"I'm Droy, my specialty is in plant magic," The white shirt guy said.

"And call me Jet, I use speed magic," His friend said.

"I'm Sarah Radcliffe, this is my sister, Kione. I use Void magic, and she uses Vibration magic," the blonde said.

With introductions out of the way, they all turned their attention to their job. "Tomorrow, I say we investigate the victims, and see if there is anything they have in common," Sarah said.

"Good idea," Marcus nodded. "While some of you question the victims' families, others should investigate the area, see if there could be anything out of the ordinary."

"Then that is what we'll do. Tomorrow," Sarah said. "For now, it's gotten late." True to her words, it was dark outside now.

"Then we'll see you girls tomorrow," Marcus said, as everyone but he, Jet and Droy left the room.

* * *

 **Marcus: So sorry for the delay!**

 **Emma: Don't be, you got a job. That's what mattered.**

 **Wendy: She's right, now get out there and show them how it's done!**

 **Alicia: Dan and I will keep you in our thoughts.**

 **Dan: Good luck.**

 **Daiki: Are you not still in training though?**

 **Marcus: I am, but things are going well, although out of twelve in the group, three have dropped out.**

 **Wendy: What's next here by the way?**

 **All: Next Time: The Hunt For Justice**


	16. Chapter 16: The Hunt for Justice

**Here we are with another chapter! Had a small trip to London, took two trips up the Thames on a boat, went under the Tower Bridge, past HMS Belfast, Tower of London, Big Ben and the London Eye, also found some card shops that sold YuGiOh and Vanguard, which I do want to learn to play properly. Either way, enough about holiday, more about the story.**

 **This is more of a Team Building and buildup to the main battles, which will be next chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Hunt For Justice**

 **Title Song: Heartbeat, Heartbreak - Persona 4 OST**

* * *

The next morning, the two guilds met over breakfast to discuss the plans of what to do.

"Ok, here's how we'll handle things. We'll divvy into groups, including members from both teams," Sarah said. As she spoke, Carla and Melody shared a glance and then nodded.

"Um… we wish to be useful," Melody said.

"Indeed, please, let us help you as much as we can," Carla nodded.

Marcus smiled, "I think I know how the teams should be. Sarah, Droy, Wendy, Carla and Emi, you guys shall be one group. Levy, Melody, Kione and Jet, we shall be the other."

"Those teams sound alright to us, so, good luck, send your flying cat to find the other group if you get a lead," Sarah nodded.

"Roger!" Everyone nodded.

* * *

Levy stepped back after knocking at one door. It opened to reveal a young woman with puffy eyes. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Actually, we were hoping we could ask you that. See, we're wizards assigned by your mayor to investigate the recent string of murders that have been plaguing your town," Kione said.

"We understand if you don't want to, but we would like to ask you some questions regarding your daughter," Levy said.

"I see, please, come in," The woman nodded. The five wizards stepped inside.

"Is it alright if we investigate the victim's room?" Marcus asked.

The woman nodded, and Marcus, Jet and Melody walked upstairs. "When did your daughter first disappear?" Asked Levy.

"About two weeks ago, the first body was still fresh in all our minds, when Saki didn't come home, I got worried," The woman said. "Then three days later… that fog rolled in, and she was found dead a roof away."

"Hm… it seems that the victims always turn up dead after thick fog rolls in," Kione noted to Levy.

Marcus, Jet and Melody returned. "Well, it doesn't look like there was a struggle, or a kidnapping, which means she must have been taken while out and about," Jet said.

Levy turned to the woman, "Thank you for your time," She said.

The five left the house, pausing outside in the street. "Her story matches all the others so far," Levy nodded.

"Let's hope team B is having better luck," Melody said.

* * *

"This home was the residence of the youngest victim, right?" Emi asked as her group approached a home on the outskirts.

"Yeah, eight years old if the accounts are correct," Sarah nodded.

"That's so sad, that not even children have been safe from this killer's sick game," Carla gave a very uncharacteristic scowl.

A man answered the door, and let them in. "After losing Tetsu, we will do anything to see that monster brought to justice," He said.

"Can I ask something, did your son ever open the door for strangers?" Emi asked.

"Well, if we were both working, he would only open the door for those he knew, which means…"

"Whoever is behind this is someone he was familiar with seeing," Droy finished.

"We found a possible clue," Wendy said, she had gone upstairs with Sarah to search the boy's room. She held out a card of some kind.

"I know, that's a Tarot card, often associated with Fortune Telling or Card Magic," Droy said. "One of the members of our guild practices it, but this clearly isn't her doing."

"Thing is, it's the only one we found," Wendy said.

"So, either Tetsu was learning to read fortunes or learn card magic, or however he was kidnapped, was thanks to card magic," Sarah said, entering the room.

"Wait a minute, every other week, he'd have a fortune teller come around and show him how to read fortunes and learn card magic," The father said.

"We have a suspect, where does this man live?" Carla asked.

"No one knows, rumour is he lives in a caravan in the forest, and comes to read fortunes in the central plaza once a week," The man said.

"Do you know when he will next show?" Asked Sarah.

"Tomorrow, he shows from around ten in the morning," Was her answer.

"Carla, go tell Team A, we have a lead," Emi said.

"I can do that!" Carla nodded, heading out the open window and shooting across town.

* * *

That evening, both teams gathered back in the girls hotel room. "Tomorrow, this fortune teller is meant to set up a stand in the central plaza. He has a camp in the forest," Sarah said.

"I think we should divide and conquer again," Levy said. "One team should go shadow the fortune teller, see if there's anything off about him, the other should investigate the surrounding forest, we could find his camp."

"Levy's got a point, whoever goes to investigate the camp needs to carry good tracking skills, I volunteer," Marcus nodded.

"I'll go with you," Wendy said.

"You'll need to be quick as well, I'll go with you and we should take your feline friends as well," Sarah agreed. She turned to Levy, "Shadow Gear, Emi, you guys will go investigate the guy in the plaza."

With the plan made for day two, the team turned in for the night.

* * *

After breakfast, Marcus, Wendy, Sarah and the cats ran out of the inn, and the smaller members grew their wings, lifting their respective partners to the skies. Sarah followed a moment later with a call of **"Void Magic: Wings!"**

"We'll split up and search the forest with a five mile radius of town, and we can rule off the sea since I doubt he has a boat," She called over.

"Alright, we'll divide and conquer. Wendy and Carla, go from the south-west side of town to the north-west corner, Sarah, you go from that corner to the north-east, and Melody and I'll go from that corner to the sea on the east side of town," Marcus said. All heads nodded with agreement.

"Meet back up with the others in thirty minutes, or come find us if you spot something," Wendy added, determined not to be left out.

"Right, good luck to you guys," Sarah nodded, with the plan decided, they separated.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jet was leaning against a pillar in the centre of town, the other members of Shadow Gear and Emi were planted at different areas around the plaza. Emi and Droy were talking quietly on the west side, and Levy and Kione were sat on the fountain edge.

Jet then saw a new pair of faces entering the plaza. It was an elderly man, with wide eyes and a very long nose. He wore a black sleeved sweater and black pants and boots, and had little grey hair on his head. Behind him were two young women, both with silver hair, one being a neat even cut, the other having hers tied in a bushy ponytail.

The first girl had a sleeveless long dress that trailed to her knees. It had a high collar, and down the middle were a number of ring-target-like circles. Under the coat, she wore black leggings which fell to blue boots. A pair of blue gloves were on her hands and a blue bellhop cap was on her head.

The other girl was older, and wore a blue trenchcoat with a black leather collar. Down the middle, there were three pairs of two golden buckles, with a rectangular buckle acting as a belt. Under the coat were a pair of black leggings like the first, which dropped to a pair of blue heeled boots.

The speed wizard glanced over at Droy, and they shared a glance before Jet inclined his head towards the three newcomers. 'Might be our guy,' He mouthed.

'Dunno, we'll see though,' Droy mouthed back.

All four pairs of functioning eyes watched them, and Kione had to be observing their path with her vibration magic. The three stopped in the middle of the plaza under the only tree in the courtyard. Jet's eyes widened as the two women opened a book each, putting them on the ground, and from within came metal poles that came together, and purple and yellow fabric drooped down from the metal.

 _What the…?_ Jet scratched his head. A purple tent was now in the middle of the courtyard, and it had come from those books! Jet nodded to Emi and Droy, it was time to act.

Emi walked towards the freshly put up tent. "Amazing… construction magic books…" She said. "They can be very useful to travellers," She pointed out.

"I don't think this is their only tent though… they must have another in the woods," Droy whispered back to her.

"Let's hope the others find it," Emi nodded. They had gotten close enough, and were spotted by the older silver-haired, blue-wearing woman.

"Hello, we'd like to ask a few questions if that's alright?" Emi asked.

"It depends on the question, please be aware that we cannot reveal another customer's fortune if they wish to keep it secret," The woman nodded.

"Oh, don't worry, we were actually hoping to ask you if you know anything about the murders that have been happening throughout town lately?" Droy asked.

"We have heard about them, in fact, we were the ones to predict them, please, let the Master explain," She said. She led them inside. Calming piano and choir music was coming from a lacrima in the corner, and the long-nosed man was sat in the middle of the room. The younger silver haired girl was going over something in a book.

"Welcome to my Velvet Room," The old man said. "My name is Igor. These are my aides, Elizabeth and Margret." He gestured to the younger, then the older silver haired woman.

"My name is Emi," Emi said.

"And mine's Droy," Her partner added.

"Sir, our guests would like to learn about our late customers' fates," Margret said.

"I see, such an unfortunate fate descended on those poor souls. But every time I perform a reading of someone's fortune, I do a second reading after they leave. It's always the same thing." His large eyes lowered. "Death. Caused by the very fortune that I read to them."

"Sorry to ask, but what was the fortune for the most recent victim?" Droy asked.

Margret walked over, and opened a heavy book. "Whenever we read a fortune, we record the outcome in this book."

She turned to the most recent page, where a number of cards were laid up. "This fortune portrayed the future as one where he would have a fateful encounter when he went on his trip gathering wood in the forest," She said. "However, the second reading showed that the encounter would lead to his demise."

"And it was like this for every other reading?" Asked Emi.

"Exactly," Margret nodded. Suddenly, there was a small swell of power, and everyone glanced at Igor, who's eyes had narrowed at Margret.

"There will be no more questions." He said, his voice tense. "We have more customers who wish to have their fortunes read. Please, depart at once."

Both bowed. "We understand, sorry for intruding." Emi said, and the two wizards left.

Once they had, Igor turned his head to the two aides. "We need to up our security." He turned to Elizabeth. "Alert the others at the camp, guild wizards are being nosy."

Elizabeth nodded. Igor then glanced at Margret. "Pursue those wizards and provide them with the same fate as the others to this day."

He glanced at the book on the table and smirked darkly, seeing the terrified face of Tetsu, one of the victims. "They must never learn that those victims are still alive. Their souls are in our possession. And when we have enough, we will sacrifice them, and return Lord Zeref to the land of the living!" He chuckled.

* * *

Outside, Jet, Levy and Kione noticed Droy and Emi leave the tent, and walk back towards them.

"Well, he's definitely a suspect, and that power unsettled me when he all but kicked us out," Emi said.

"Right, come on, let's go get something to eat, then see if the others came back," Jet said.

"Sounds like a plan," Levy nodded.

Unbeknownst to them, Margaret quietly tailed them, her eyes not losing sight of the team.

* * *

"Marcus!" Marcus and Melody paused in their path when they heard a voice, and turned to see Carla shooting towards them. "Sarah might have found it, she sent me to find you!" The white cat said.

"Good job! We were about to go fishing!" Melody said.

"Lead the way Carla! We'll follow you!" Marcus called back to her.

"Ok, she and Wendy are scouting the area from a distance as we speak," Carla said, before the small white cat took off back in the direction she came from, wings glowing pink with aera magic.

"Melody, you know what to do," Marcus said.

"Right, hang on!" A blue magic circle appeared above her wings. **"Max Speed!"** Her wings glowed green, before she shot after Carla.

* * *

Wendy looked through the spyglass provided by Sarah. _I see at least three tents here, and at least two occupants._

"Ok, these two, plus a dude and another girl towards the middle." Wendy almost fell off the tree branch she was perched on after hearing Sarah's voice.

"Please don't sneak up on me like that!" She whispered back.

"Sorry, but there are four in the camp, plus an unknown number possibly inside the tents. Those two down there…" She blinked.

She was referring to the twin figures below, which stood like guards in front of one tent. "Apart from those eyepatches being on opposite eyes, those two look identical," Wendy observed.

Suddenly, a light rustling of leaves was heard, and both girls turned, seeing Marcus and the two cats on a branch just above and behind them. "I think it's just those four, plus whoever is with the fortune teller in town."

At that moment, an explosion came from behind them, and all five glanced back, seeing smoke coming from the town.

"Ah crap…" Marcus muttered, looking down at the camp.

Below, the four figures convened at the twins posting. "What was that noise?" Asked the only male. He wore a black-collared and long-sleeved shirt under a blue suit complemented with a blue necktie. He also wore black pants with blue lines running through the sides, black shoes, and a bellboy hat.

"I am not sure… perhaps the Master has run into trouble in town," The other girl said. She wore a blue French maid dress, and stylish matching headband with white butterfly ornaments and yellow roses. She looked adorable, and not suiting in such an environment.

"I wouldn't worry, the Master can handle himself, and Margaret and Elizabeth are just as incredible," One of the two twin guards said, she was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt which was tucked in at the waist to a pair of black shorts, she wore a small blue and black police hat, and her hair was braided down behind her in a long ponytail. Around her head, and over her left eye is an eyepatch.

"Right, we should make sure that everything is ready for tomorrow evening, where we sacrifice the souls of those taken from town to summon the Black One," Her twin wore the same outfit, but her hair was curled into two buns and her eyepatch was on the other eye.

Marcus signalled to his friends to backtrack. "The Black One?" He asked.

"Zeref fanatics?" Melody questioned.

"I'm worried about town, that explosion, we'll have to believe the others can handle it," Sarah said.

"Right, with them alert, we might as well make ourselves known," Carla agreed.

"3 against 5 aren't good odds though, even with one of us being S-class," Wendy observed.

Both cats then glanced at each other, "You insult us Wendy, we can fight," Both said, before they began to glow.

When the glow faded, in the place of two cats, were now two girls, one with white hair, ears and a tail, while the other had orange hair, ears and a tail.

The white haired girl had it at shoulder length, and wore a human sized version of Carla's outfit, which was a black jacket over a blue shirt and red pleated skirt, black leggings into black shoes. Her red bow remained on her tail.

Likewise, the orange haired girl had hers trailing to mid-back, with two braided strands down over her shoulders. She wore a white and orange sailor's uniform, with an orange skirt and black modesty shorts underneath. From the lower thigh to the foot were black high socks and brown boots. Her blue bow was on her tail.

"See, we decided to learn a bit of magic ourselves," Melody grinned. She did a playful spin, "What do you think?" She asked.

"Transformation Magic huh? Gotta say I never saw that coming from you two," Sarah grinned. "Can you fight in those forms?" She asked.

"Yes, we'll handle the twins, you guys deal with the rest," Carla nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me, ok, Sarah, we'll take on the remaining two guards, Wendy, investigate the tent that those twins are guarding," Marcus said.

A minute later, they were in position to strike. Marcus signalled the two catgirls, who swooped in, gripping the twins by their arms and pulling them into the air and taking them out of the camp.

Marcus and Sarah walked into the camp. "Good afternoon," Marcus said, causing the man and girl to look at the two. "Now, surrender or face pain," He said, cracking his knuckles.

"I'll handle the kid, you deal with the bellboy," Sarah said.

* * *

 **30 minutes earlier**

* * *

Emi glanced behind her. "We're being followed," She observed.

"I know, I've been watching them since we left the plaza," Kione said.

"Stop glancing back, it makes someone want to follow you," Droy pointed out to Emi, which made the girl nod, focusing forwards.

"Which one is it Kione?" Levy asked.

"The older girl, heels are a dead giveaway," Kione said.

"That and the blue trench coat," Jet added.

"Ok, here's what we'll do, there's a second plaza ahead, we'll make our stand there," Kione said. "Levy, Jet, go left, Droy, Emi, go right, once we get to the plaza, blend in, so Jet, loose the hat if possible."

"I gotcha," Jet nodded.

"Ok, divide now," Kione said, heading straight on, while the groups she assigned went their required ways.

Behind them, Margaret gave a frown and decided to follow the orange dress and blue hair, not letting them out of her sight.

Emi and Droy both glanced back, noticing that the woman had followed Jet and Levy, "Problem is, Levy's a little easy to spot in a crowd," Droy sighed.

"Nothing we can do now, I'm sure Kione has a plan," Emi said.

When the three teams made it to the plaza, Kione smirked, there weren't that many people in the courtyard, so she had just the idea, spotting the vibrations that came from a steady water supply, which meant a fountain.

"Sorry Mr Mayor," She said, and smashed the fountain with a focused vibration, causing everyone to scream and flee in panic. Soon, it was just Kione and the rest of Shadow Gear and Emi, and following Levy and Jet into the plaza was Margaret.

"Gotcha," Kione smirked, "Who are you really?"

"Your defeat." The new voice got her attention, and all six turned to notice that Elizabeth had entered the courtyard. "You lack the strategy to plan for your targets' movements Sister."

"Elizabeth. Did the master send you to reinforce me?" Margaret asked.

"He did indeed, five against one seems to be unfair odds, so he sent myself to make sure you are not defeated," Elizabeth said. Both women pulled out a book and nodded.

" **Maragidyne!"** Both called out, a huge torrent of flames coming from their pages.

With quick motion, and without thinking, Droy and Emi put their hands together. " **Magic Fusion**!" They both called.

At that moment, the flames swallowed them whole, and swirled into a fiery inferno that ripped up the stone.

When the flames faded, Elizabeth and Margaret both smiled, "I don't know why the master was even worried," Elizabeth said.

"Wait sister…" Margaret said.

The smoke started to lift, and both were shocked to see a huge dome of ivy leaves and oak wood, charred, but standing strong.

Then, as it started to fade, both saw five wizards emerging from the steaming circle of heat. "Ok, that was a nice try, now it's our turn!" Kione said, pulsing out a shockwave which slammed into both blue garbed women, sending them sliding back a little.

Jet and Droy cracked their knuckles, and Emi and Levy settled into battle stances. "Bring it on!" Both said with confidence.

* * *

 **Marcus: Here is where the fun begins!**

 **Sarah: Looking forward to seeing what you can do for real Frosty.**

 **Kione: Meanwhile, we're also about to get dirty.**

 **Emi: I hope I don't mess up...**

 **Levy: You'll be fine, Team Shadow Gear have your back.**

 **All: Next time: Desires and Destiny**


	17. Chapter 17: Desires and Destiny

**Sorry for the delay, but I'm back with another chapter, and boy, I think I went a little overboard here. Fights everywhere, and I couldn't find it in me to split them in two, so here we go, Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter vs the Velvet Room attendants.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Desires and Destiny**

 **Title Song: Battle For Everyone's Souls - Persona 3 FES OST**

* * *

Marcus, Sarah and Wendy stared down at the two blue dressed people before them. "You wanna handle Bellboy?" Sarah asked.

"Sure, Wendy, hang back and support us if we need it," Marcus said, icy mists appearing from his hands.

"Let me open with some enchantments. **Oh mighty winds of the heavens, grant us the might, resilience and speed to vanquish our foes! Arms and Armor! Vernier!"** A teal orb appeared around her, as did a blue one around Marcus and a purple one around Sarah, who tested her next strength and dexterity.

"Lavenza, an opening blast should end this quickly," The man said to his accomplice.

"I agree Theodore, let us end this before it begins," The girl nodded. She held out a hand, a green magic circle appearing. " **Magarudyne!** " She commanded, a massive tornado shooting out towards the group.

"On second thought… Wendy!" Marcus called. A second later, an explosion of dust and smoke hit the camp, threatening to blow all the tents out of their holdings.

"Such a shame, they could have put up a fight," Theodore sighed.

"But the job is… wait… what's that sound?" Lavenza asked.

Both squinted their eyes to look into the dust cloud, and their eyes widened as they noticed something that made them stagger.

Wendy was slurping down the last of the tornado like a string of spaghetti. She then took a small breath, "About time I got to try that technique out," She smiled, "Now I believe the term used by Mr Salamander is 'I've got a fire in my belly'?" She grinned, patting her stomach.

Sarah was just as surprised, "No way… she… she can't be…" She muttered.

"How about a dual attack Wendy?" Marcus asked, and took in a deep breath.

"Sounds good Marcus," Wendy nodded, and did the same as her friend.

 **"** **Ice Dragon/Sky Dragon… ROAR!"** Both called out, releasing a devastating dual tornado of ice, snow and winds.

"They both are… Natsu is going to freak when he hears about this…" Sarah gasped.

Both stopped their breath attack, and noticed that both were looking worse for wear, but stood strong.

"Alright, strongest attacks aside, let's get dirty," Marcus said. He sprang at Theodore as Wendy shot at Lavenza.

Theodore ducked under a spinning kick from Marcus and his arm lit up. **"Terror Claw!"** He called out, his arm coated in a vibrant red, and slashing at Marcus. The ice dragon slayer blocked it, and countered with a throw, tossing the bellboy over his shoulder and towards a pile of barrels.

Theodore self-righted mid-air, and sprang off the barrels, his fist reaching back. **"Sledgehammer!"** He called, clobbering Marcus in the gut and sending him sprawling.

Wendy ducked under a small blast of wind magic from Lavenza, then her hand coated in sky magic, **"Sky Dragon Breakdown Fist!"** She called, balling her hand into a fist and aiming for Lavenza's face.

The girl however blocked it with her massive book, "It seems we are at a stalemate. You can nullify my attacks, and with one spell, I can do the same," Lavenza said. **"Wind Resist!"** She called, a light barrier taking effect for her, and she was covered in it.

Wendy could tell that whatever she had just cast, it was sky/wind related, "Resist huh? Some kind of defensive spell?" She asked.

"Indeed, now take this!" A sudden hail of wind sickles shot from her hands, and Wendy was unable to raise her guard in time, the sickles slicing across her small form.

"Guys!" Sarah called out with worry.

"Don't worry about us, we can take much more than this, right Wendy?" Marcus asked, getting up.

"I'll follow your lead Marcus," Wendy nodded, shaking off the pain she felt.

Marcus was first to dart forwards, his icy fist aiming for Lavenza, which threw the small blue wearing girl off balance as she was expecting Wendy to come for her. She raised her book, blocking the attack.

"What's that book made of? Stone?" Marcus asked.

"An anti-magic lacrima to be precise, but yes, a stone," Lavenza said. " **Garudyne**!" She called out, wind leaving her hand in a magic circle, aiming for the group, but Marcus had no reason to let it past.

" **Ice Make: Shield!** " He called out, a barrier of ice appearing, blocking the attack.

"And he's an ice make wizard too? Gray will want to meet this guy," Sarah mumbled. A cry from Wendy caught her attention, and she saw Theodore was launching rapid punches that were hitting Wendy all over.

"Hang on Wendy!" She called. " **Void Magic: Disintegration!** " She called, her fist lighting up with the void, slamming it into Theodore's side, sending him into a tent side.

"You ok?" She asked the smaller girl.

"I'll be fine when we beat these guys," Wendy admitted, "Look out!" She called, spotting Theodore coming back towards them with his hand in a spear hand technique, hand glowing. With a hand swirling with sky magic, she pushed Sarah aside. **"Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"** She called out, wind from her punching attack buffeting the man, knocking off his hat. The fist itself then connected into Theodore's arm, knocking his spell off course. He was therefore unprepared for the following Sky Dragon Talon that slammed into his gut. He went spiralling into the dirt again.

Marcus ducked under the slice of air, **"Ice Dragon Spearhead!"** He called out, leaping at the girl, encasing himself in ice, hitting Lavenza in the chest. He then burst free, **"Ice Dragon Claw!"** With three sharp icy appendages at the end of his fingertips, he ran back, attempting to slash at her.

Lavenza blocked the swing with her book, and then swung it like a sort of club, Marcus wincing as his claws shattered under her anti-magic enhanced book, and felt the wind get knocked out of him by the heavy book and got sent sprawling.

Sarah watched them fight and was amazed. _I thought that Natsu had tenacity, but these two are just as strong as he is in that department!_ She then decided that while Marcus and Wendy were fighting the goons, she'd investigate the tent that the twins had been guarding.

Slipping into the tent, her eyes widened, as she set eyes on something that made her blood freeze. _W-what? What is this?!_

* * *

"I think this will do for now!" Carla called, struggling with the squirming Justine.

"I was just thinking the same thing, alright kids, this is where you get off," With that, Melody and Carla released the twins, letting them fall.

However, it became clear that these were the most agile, self-righting themselves, using the trees to steady their fall, before landing in a clearing. Both Carla and Melody soon descended, landing between them and the camp.

"Sorry ladies, but we're going to make sure you pay for taking us from our task," Caroline said, her baton extending.

"Alright then, come and get us then," Melody held her hand up in a 'come and get me' gesture.

"Alright, but you asked for it!" Caroline burst forwards first, baton lighting up with crimson red. **"Vorpal Strike!"** she called, lunging forwards with the blunt stick.

Melody sidestepped the baton, and she then leapt up, "Requip!" She called, Caroline expected a sword or dagger, but she was surprised when an electric guitar appeared in Melody's arms.

"Are you trying to mock me?" She asked.

"Not at all. **Song of the Raging Fire!"** She called, playing a heavy metal riff that caused sparks of flame to burst free, before turning into exactly what the spell calls it, a raging fire. She directed the fire towards Caroline, who was surprised to see music magic in play.

"You use Music Magic? It's such a rare technique!" She asked, dumbfounded.

"I certainly do, and I hope you do enjoy the show!" Melody laughed, continuing her music, flames roared at the girl.

"I hate you already! **Mabufudyne!** " She snapped, unleashing a large torrent of snow and ice that surprisingly battled and beat the fire, washing over Melody.

"Chilly, but my best friend is an Ice Dragon Slayer so… this is kinda tame…" Melody shrugged. "I've got more to play!" Her guitar was replaced by a bow and violin. **"Dance of the Freezing Fairies!"** She called out.

Several small creatures flittered around, before they flittered into the ice storm attacking Melody. They then began to shift the ice into a blizzard, which was sent back to Caroline.

 **"** **Zio!"** Justine released a short, precise bolt of sparks, that caused Carla to wince as her wing was grazed. Deciding to protect them, she dispelled them, descending onto the girl, leg glowing with magic.

 **"** **White Moon Kick!"** She called, cartwheeling into a dropkick, her leg slamming into Justine's side. The blue clad girl recovered mid-air, and sparks coursed through her fingers.

 **"** **Ziodyne!"** She called out, a wider spread of lightning shooting forwards, but Carla had a way around it this time.

 **"** **Full Moon Shield!"** A circle shape in the form of a full moon appeared between her hands and the lightning, letting her escape unscathed. She wasn't done either, **"Crescent Moon Slicer!"** A new crescent moon shaped sickle appeared in her hand, which she attacked Justine with, causing the girl to raise her clipboard in defence.

Carla was about to ask why the clipboard was lasting this long, but she then saw the purple runes on the object, "A reinforcement enchantment?" She asked.

"That's right, I conjured this enchantment before the battle began," Justine nodded. "Now, perish! **Maziodyne!"** She called out, a full-on lightning storm crashing down upon Carla.

"I've got ways to beat this," Carla grunted, but yelled in pain from the surging bolts of pain lancing through her body. **"White Moon Blaster!"** She held both hands in front of her, a white laser shooting forwards, knocking Justine off balance.

"I can keep going all day!" She challenged the blue wearing girl.

* * *

Back in town, the fight was getting started properly. **"Repulse!"** Kione called out. Her hands stretched out in both directions, a blast of vibrations kicking through the air, knocking back both Margaret and Elizabeth, sending them slamming into a tree and a lamp post respectively.

"Emi, Droy, think you two can handle Elizabeth?" Jet asked.

"Right!" The two plant wizards nodded and sprang forwards to meet Elizabeth, who's book was open, and she carried a slightly crazed look.

"Show me your power, before I put you to death," She said, before she released a wave of pressure that caused the plant wielders to cover up defensively.

"Have a taste of my **Knuckle Plant!"** Droy yelled, throwing out some seeds that formed plants in the shape of a fist attempting to hit the young woman. Elizabeth dodged, leaping back and a magic circle appeared above her book pages.

"Interesting, Plant Magic," She observed. She then noticed Emi sprinting at her, "And what can you do?" She asked.

"Why don't you shut up and find out!" Emi called back. **"Vine Whip!"** A vine uncoiled as she threw her hand forward, the tip flicking into Elizabeth's cheek.

"Two plant users, how fortunate," Elizabeth smiled. "My turn. **Marageon!"** She called, two fiery circles blasting up flames below the two wizards, who barely avoided the roaring fire.

"We're not done yet!" Emi called out, sprinting towards the blue wearing girl, her arms glowing green. **"Wood Hammer!"** She called out, slamming her fists into Elizabeth's side.

Said girl gave a small gasp as they felt the impact, knocking her into the side of a building. "It seems you are better than I thought. However, we are just getting started," Elizabeth said, getting back up.

Meanwhile, Jet, Levy and Kione had their hands full with Margaret. **"Solid Script: Blizzard!"** Levy yelled, drawing the word blizzard, which then released sub-zero temperatures at the woman.

 **"** **Maragi!"** Waving her hand, an arc of flames countered the icy winds, then continued, causing Levy and Jet to duck, and Kione to pulse out a vibration burst to cancel it out.

"My turn! **Falcon Heavenward Sword!"** Jet called out, his legs lighting up as he lunged at Margaret, who was not expecting the fast speeds, reeling in surprise before Jet's boot connected with her shoulder. However, she spun with the kick, and quickly recovered.

 **"** **Solid Script: Shuriken!"** Levy's next spell was a metal blade shaped like the word she just called out, which she then threw at the woman at surprising velocity. Kione noticed the changes in the air through the vibrations and was able to blast some extra power behind the blade.

Margaret avoided the weapon, but Kione smiled. "You cannot hide from me, **Vibration Magic:** **Landmine!"** Where Margaret landed, her foot triggered a magic circle which exploded, kicking up stone and sending the woman flying.

"Now that's what I expected from Fairy Tail, but I'm just warming up," Margaret snarked. **"Megido!"** A quick beam shot from her hand, and where it landed between the three wizards, a large blast ripped up everything, including the three wizards who yelled with surprise and pain.

"I am the oldest and most powerful member of the Velvet Room, below that of our Master, Elizabeth is only just below my strength, you never stood a chance," She said.

"Oh yeah?" She was surprised to see Kione beginning to stand back up. "I'm still breathing, so I still stand a chance," She said. "You'll have to do a lot more than that if you want to kill me," She said. Her blindfold was torn up, revealing her faded eyes, and one of her coattails was shredded as well.

"Same goes here, even if you break my legs, I'll find a way to beat you, because we're Fairy Tail Wizards and we never give up," Jet was next to stand, his hat long gone, and he threw his tattered coat aside, holes all across one side.

Levy wordlessly stood back up, her hairband was gone, causing her hair to become rather untidy, and there were a few small holes in her dress.

"Impressive, it seems this fight will be interesting after all," Margaret said, her book open as she began to float in the air.

"Well, that's just not fair," Kione frowned. "She's not making any vibrations, I can't see her," She alerted her teammates.

"Don't worry Kione, we'll create an opening, just be ready," Levy said, settling back into her script stance.

* * *

Giving a yell of pain, Wendy was thrown back, and Marcus soon joined her. "Ok… these guys are more powerful than I gave them credit for," He gasped for breath. "You good?" He asked Wendy. His white buttoned shirt was torn open, revealing his bare chest, and the right leg of his black pants was shredded at the knee.

She wobbled a bit, but got back to her feet, "I'm not out yet," She panted. The sleeves of her green, white and blue jacket were gone, and she had lost a plimsole. "These guys are good," Wendy said.

"We thank you for the praise, you two are not weak either," Theodore said. His outfit was still in good condition, despite the brutal battle so far.

"Well, they are Dragon Slayers, we should give them some credit," Lavenza panted, her own dress just covered in scuffs of dirt. Marcus sussed they must be reinforced clothes or something.

"Yeah? Let's see that credit once we stop the murders your Master is causing!" Marcus yelled, springing back in to meet Theodore in battle, claws slashing with his arm glowing red.

At the same time, **"Sky Dragon Breakdown Fist!"** Wendy leapt at Lavenza, who hadn't been expecting the speed, nor the ferocity of the wind-coated fist aimed at her gut. The girl coughed upon landing in the dirt.

Marcus saw this, and took his chance, **"Ice Dragon Sledgehammer!"** His fist, coated in a block of ice slammed into Theodore, knocking him back next to Lavenza. "Now to end this! **Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"** He yelled, arms becoming covered in a misty aura. **"Sacred Snow: Frozen Storm Wings!"** With a mighty yell, he waved his arms down, a massive array of icy sickles flying forwards the two opponents, which cut and sliced at them, creating a large explosion of ice.

When the dust settled, both were unconscious, and Marcus wobbled a bit, "Whoa…" He panted.

"We did it!" Wendy grinned, coming over and hugging her battle partner.

"We did indeed," Marcus chuckled.

* * *

Melody swung her electric guitar like an axe, blocking Caroline's baton, then she sprang back with her wings, the guitar vanishing, a trumpet appearing in her hands. **"Song of the Cascading Waves!"** A magic circle appeared from the end of her trumpet as she began to play upbeat jazz that summoned water to blast from the end of her instrument.

Caroline spluttered at the new element entering the battle, and quickly countered. **"Bufudyne!"** She called out, freezing the water back to the source, this also coated Melody's trumpet with ice.

"Fine, we'll go back to strings, but you'll wish I stayed with the water," Melody frowned, summoning her guitar, this time with two massive lacrima-powered speakers. Caroline's eyes widened upon seeing the two large accessories appear, and the SE plug travelling from the guitar to them both.

 **"** **Sound Magic: Sonic Wave!"** Melody grinned, strumming once, a huge chord of sound bursting from the speakers, knocking Caroline off her feet and into a rock, knocking her unconscious.

Melody stopped the music, looking over at Carla, who wasn't having the same fortune with Justine, "Need help?" She asked.

"No offense, your magic is not a good close range assistant, I got this," Carla grunted, leaping over a Ziodyne spell. **"White Moon Kick!"** She called out, flipping into the air and attempting to knock out the girl with a heavy blow to the head. Justine blocked it with her clipboard. Carla sprang off the board, summoning her wings and backflipping into a divebomb while dodging rapid fire Zio shots.

"This should be the end! **Solar Eclipse!"** With the sun at her back, Justine had to squint to try and spot her. Carla took her chance, swooping in and slamming both fists into Justine's stomach, throwing her into the rock next to her twin, knocking the second girl into the same state.

Carla panted, "For our first fight against actual foes, that wasn't that bad," She said, falling onto her backside.

"Yeah, at least we know now we don't have to sit on the side lines anymore," Melody said, coming and sitting down next to her fellow cat girl. "I vote we just relax for a minute before heading back to Marcus."

* * *

Emi grunted as a torrent of flames washed over her head thanks to her conjuring a wall of ivy to block. Elizabeth was just throwing Agidynes at her and Droy now, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get close to the young woman. Poking her head out, she took a chance to see where Elizabeth was.

She noticed the flamethrowing woman standing on a building, she didn't have time to look much further as more flames came her way, causing her to channel extra magic power into her barrier. She then noted Droy was angling a throw of his seeds.

 **"** **Chain Plant! Grow!"** He called out, vines snaking from the seeds and ensnaring the girl, "Emi, now!" He called.

"Right! **Leaf Storm!"** She called out, summoning all the leaves from one of the remaining trees, then sending them all at Elizabeth, cutting her all over, and causing the girl to keel over with pain.

On the other side of the plaza, Jet slammed a foot into Margaret, who ignored it, throwing him aside, then throwing a Maragidyne at the young man.

 **"** **Solid Script: Water!"** A torrent of water intercepted and doused the flames before they could cause problems for Jet and the town.

Using the steam created by the script wizard's attack, Jet vanished, using his High Speed to dip out of sight.

Levy glanced at Kione, then at Margaret, "Kione, your 11 o'clock, five metres!" She called out.

"I'll take it," Kione said, raising a hand, **"Vibration Magic: Repulse!"** She called out, flinging a compressed ball of vibrations in the woman's direction. However, Margaret sensed it coming and dodged.

"She's not as easy as I thought she'd be," Kione said, flinging three more repulses in the general direction Levy had called out. Her eyebrows rose as she heard Margaret grunt, before a vibration came from the wall beside the plaza. "Found you!" She called, charging at the woman with an arm raised.

 **"** **Vibration Pattern 3: Ribs!"** Margaret gave a grunt of pain, vibrations breaking a couple of ribs.

Jet then re-entered the picture, **"High Speed Whirlwind!"** He called out, running in a tight circle around the woman, knocking her off her feet and into the world of the unconscious.

With a small chuckle, Levy and Jet came up to Kione, the three Shadow Gear members grinning together.

"We did it!" Levy smiled.

 _'_ _Impressive, wizards of light, you did well, defeating the minions of the Velvet Room. However, I always suspected that this old fool's servants were weaker than they appeared.'_ A voice suddenly spoke through their minds.

"Wait, what's that?" Emi asked, "I hear that old geezer's voice in my head," She noted.

"Telepathy magic," Kione was the one to tell her. "He's speaking from a distance through our minds."

* * *

In the forest, Marcus looked up, "Telepathy Magic?" He noted.

 _'_ _For those who know my voice, this isn't a surprise, but to those in the forest, my name is Igor, master of the Velvet Room. However, that being said, this form I am occupying is merely a vessel for my own desires. Now that you have entered my sanctum, you are not allowed to live any longer. I will take the task upon myself to rid the world of you foolish mortals.'_

Marcus wondered what he meant by that, when Sarah exit the main tent, "I know what's happened to the victims, and how it happened," She said. "The fortune teller would read the fortune of his clients, giving them a prophecy of doom. While reading their fortune, he placed a curse on them, which slowly transformed them into cards."

She held up a couple of cards, several including people who were immobilised in limbo. "He then would then sacrifice that victim's soul to fulfil his desire of returning Zeref to this world. Because he's been possessed by a demon from the Books of Zeref."

 _'_ _The lady is correct, I am the Demon of Desires, Yaldabaoth. Now, I will take your souls and revive my master to this world!_ '

Marcus, Wendy and Sarah looked at a massive shape hovering above the town. They were soon joined by Carla and Melody, who brought back the twin sisters.

Hearing coughing, they turned, seeing Lavenza coming to. "Please, you must save our master, he has been possessed by the demon you see there, but we were powerless to stop him."

"Don't worry, we'll stop it," Sarah assured. She looked back at the creature, which had taken the form of a giant, faceless crystalline angelic being, with two arms and massive wings from the waist area. "I wish I could take a job without worrying about a demon for once…" She sighed.

"Either way, we gotta get back to town, Emi and the others are gonna be outmatched," Marcus said. Melody grabbed onto his waist, while Carla did the same with Wendy. Sarah wordlessly summoned her wings, and the five wizards shot back towards town.

* * *

 **Marcus: Well, it's not over yet, time to beat the main boss.**

 **Emma: Wow, you guys really went all out this chapter, hope you can come out on top against that big dude.**

 **Marcus: Of course we will. We'll junk that oversized crystal, just you wait.**

 **All: Next time: Fate Will Change!**


	18. Chapter 18: Life Will Change

**Well... I finally grew enough willpower to yank myself away from Monster Hunter Iceborne and Borderlands 3 to get some writing done. This chapter was practically done, but I just needed to make sure it looked right to release to you all. As always, I do not own Fairy Tail, this is the rightful property of Hiro Mashima, I just wish I was there in his world.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Life Will Change**

 **Title Song: Our Beginning (Persona 5 Soundtrack)**

* * *

Team Shadow Gear and Emi leapt up onto the taller buildings, frowning at the sheer size of their sudden new foe. "What do we do now?" Emi asked.

Levy thought about it, then turned to the others, "We can't guarantee the others will get back in time, so we've got to keep that thing's attention on us. Kione, it doesn't seem to be moving, so just let it have it, Jet will come back with new bearings if it does move," She said. "Emi, Droy, we're gonna have to hit it with our heaviest attacks. I know we just fought a tough battle, but we've got to dig deep. If Natsu, Gray and Erza can beat a demon, then we can too!"

All four heads nodded and leapt into action. **"Solid Script: Drill!"** Levy called, releasing the word that corkscrewed into a drill. Overall, it didn't seem to do much, but it got Yaldabaoth's attention.

 **"** **So, you wish to be the first offering? It matters not who dies first,"** The demon spoke.

"Hey! Eyes off her!" Jet called out. **"High Speed!"** He yelled his signature attack, leaping up and kicking one of the wings.

 **"** **Knuckle Plant! Grow!"** Droy tossed a huge number of seeds down, which grew together into large green fists that pummelled away at the lower parts of the demon.

 **"** **Magical Leaf!"** Emi was right beside her fellow plant wizard, releasing a salvo of sharp leaves. These didn't do a lot, but they caused the demon to look down at her.

From behind them, Kione was launching rapid fire repulses, hoping to chip away at the angelic creature above them, but nothing was working.

 **"** **Pathetic, you haven't even scratched me,"** Yaldabaoth mocked them. From the tips of the wings, arrows of light shot free, homing in on the five wizards.

Levy turned to Kione, "Light arrows incoming!" She called, leaping to avoid the spell.

"I could tell something was coming," Kione replied, **"Vibration Magic: Maximum Repulse!"** She called out, releasing massive compressed waves of vibrations. To her friends, it looked like she was firing blasts of wind magic, but they knew better.

The vibrations took out the light arrows, then continued, causing Yaldabaoth to reel slightly, dents forming in the crystalline body, and one blast causing an arm to flail uncontrollably.

 **"** **You might actually be a threat, small one. Therefore, you will be the first to know the feeling of death!"** Yaldabaoth rumbled, a sphere of energy charging between it's two arms.

"Don't even think about it!" Team Shadow Gear and Emi turned at the new voice, and grinned, "There's no way we're gonna let you kill anyone! **Ice Dragon Spearhead!"** From the sky, a projectile of solid ice was shooting towards the demon, followed by a comet of void magic.

Both impacted in what would be the face of the demon. It started falling back but hung in the air like a puppet on strings.

Emi and Levy shared a smile, while Jet and Droy fist bumped as Marcus and Sarah landed before them, Wendy being lowered behind them, a pair of girls with cat ears and tails flanking the three wizards.

"Is this thing causing you some problems?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, our magic isn't exactly made to handle demons, Kione's the only one that's put a dent in it so far," Jet nodded.

"But now that you guys are here, I think we've got a good chance at beating this thing," Droy added.

"What do you say Dragon Slayers? Want to see if you can slay a demon?" Sarah asked.

Marcus shrugged, "Why not? I mean… Natsu Dragneel beat one, right?" He asked.

"He had some help, but yeah," Sarah nodded.

"I'll give you guys some buffs first!" Wendy said, **"By the grace of the winds, may you move swiftly, powerfully and be free of all harm! Arms and Armour! Vernier!"** Wendy called out, magic circles appearing around each of her allies.

Jet was first to notice, "What the… I feel so light!" He muttered. He smirked and kicked out, "Let's try this now! **High Speed!** " He called out, vanishing in the blink of an eye. He reappeared, running up the demon's body. **"Falcon Heavenward Sword!"** He called out his next attack, legs slamming across the demon, causing small dents to form.

"Whatever she's doing, it's giving us a major speed boost and power-up! Let me try **Solid Script: Bullets!"** Drawing the word in the air, it transformed into a hail of magic bullets, shooting towards Yaldabaoth, hitting where Jet's feet left damage.

"Let's try something as well Emi!" Droy called out to his fellow plant mage, **"Grow! Mighty Beanstalk!"** He called out, throwing a seed underneath the demon of desire. It suddenly sprouted, a beanstalk growing and constricting Yaldabaoth.

"Right behind you! **Power Whip!"** Emi called, putting a hand on the beanstalk, large vines began to batter away at the demon's body.

 **"** **Enough of this silly game!"** Yaldabaoth growled, several arms appearing from the wings, pulling several items from the core. Marcus paled, seeing a gigantic sword that severed the beanstalk. The other hand pulled out a massive gun. **"It is time for you mortals to die! I call upon the seven sins of man! These will be the undoing of your pitiful species!"** He roared.

"Get ready, looks like he's going to counterattack!" Marcus called out.

 **"** **Distorted Desires!"** At the same time that the sword slashed an arc of energy, the gun fired a wave of the same power. That power washed over the whole group, and they each fell into darkness.

* * *

Marcus looked around, gasping as he came to. **"Marcus,"** A voice rumbled, soft, but gravelly. **"Marcus, I'm sorry I left you,"** Marcus' eyes widened, he hadn't heard that voice in forever.

"Frostfall?! Is that you?" He asked, "Where are you?!"

* * *

"Grandeeny?!" Wendy called out, she was walking through the darkness after hearing her dragon mother's voice. "I want to show you how strong I've become!"

 **"** **I know Wendy, I've always known,"** Her mother's voice rang out. **"You have found so many lovely friends, I was worried that when I left, you would be all alone, but I am glad that I can leave you with them."**

* * *

Kione groaned, then she sat up, and opened her eyes. This confused her, as she had asked a doctor to sew them shut as she could not use them. What confused her more was that she could _see_. She saw all her friends, new and old, and smiled, knowing exactly what her friends in Shadow Gear looked like, as well as all her friends in Fairy Tail, also to the side were her new friends from Cait Shelter.

* * *

Sarah blinked, as she woke up in the warm embrace of… her mother… "What the…?! Get away from me you frosty witch!" She snapped.

"Sarah, relax, let mother calm your frustrated nerves, soothe your soul," Kuroikiri Radcliffe smiled.

Sarah wanted to resist, but she felt something she had never felt before, the embrace of a loving mother, _her_ mother. _'Maybe a little longer,'_ She thought, closing her eyes.

* * *

Marcus blinked. "Wait a minute… if you say you want to come back, then why haven't you already?" He asked. "And I remember you disappearing on the 7th of July, in the year X777! Fourteen years, only to come back out of the blue? Not likely! This is an illusion! One we must free ourselves from!"

With a massive breath, his eyes snapped open. **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art - Forgotten Ice Form!"** He called out, a huge magic circle illuminating the darkness. **"Sacred Snow: Realm of Ice – Niflheim!"** He roared out, ice bursting everywhere around him.

* * *

Sarah blinked as ice burst into her reality, and she gasped. "Ice? Marcus? I get it! It's an illusion!" She noted. **"Ultimate Void Art!"** She called out, gathering void energy in her hands and at her core, then releasing the built-up energy. **"Nova Warp!"** She yelled. "I know you guys are out there, if you see my power, know that you are not alone!"

* * *

Wendy stopped running through the fog, and she looked to see ice and purple energy mixed together in a beam of combined power. "Grandeeney, I know I can't see you," She said, sighing with a small sob. "But before I go… let me show you just how strong I've become!" With a yell, she gathered all her remaining energy. **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art - New Sky Form!"**

She had only practiced this spell once, only Carla knew of it's existence, but now was as good a time as any to use it. **"Shattering Light: Gale Force – Hammering Hurricane!"** Her spell had her gather the sky magic all into one point, then she would hold it over her head, and leap into the gathered magic power, turning her into an unstoppable force.

* * *

Suddenly, the fog around her shattered, and Wendy, along with the two spells surrounding her, slammed into Yaldabaoth's chest. Marcus roared, letting out all his remaining power into his magic. Sarah felt blood trickling from her nose as she struggled to maintain her spell, shooting towards Yaldabaoth with the ice surrounding her void magic. Wendy smiled, she was not alone anymore, she had Marcus, Carla, Cait Shelter, and now Fairy Tail.

With that in mind, she roared as she put her fists on Yaldabaoth's torso, before she began to spin faster and faster, becoming a drill of sky magic that slowly but surely dug through the demon of desires, before she burst free on the other side with Sarah, the two girls falling to the ground with a painful thud.

Looking back though, they, as well as Marcus and the others, looked up to see that Yaldabaoth was hanging limply. "I see… so this is the power of human desire…" It said, before beginning to sparkle, tiny crystals falling from it's body.

Marcus picked one up and looked at it. He could tell it had immense power, maybe this would make up for the problems they caused while fighting the Velvet Room attendants and the damages to the town.

"I-I think we did it!" Wendy gasped, barely able to flip onto her back so she could watch the collapsing demon.

"I think I'm gonna sleep for a week when we get back to Fairy Tail," Sarah muttered. She winced, "Yep… Nova Warp is just as draining as last time," She groaned.

"I'd give you a hand, but I'm drained too," Marcus panted.

"Well, that's to be expected when you three use super spells to finish a fight, but we got ya covered," Droy said, as he helped Marcus up, draping the Dragon Slayer's arm over his shoulder.

"Yeah, don't worry, I gotcha Sarah," Jet hefted Sarah up into the same position while Levy and Emi helped Wendy to her feet.

"Well, I say we go crash into a pillow, it's about that time if you ask me," Marcus said. "We can go to Vander tomorrow."

* * *

"Rather remarkable, but you saved the town without too much collateral damage. And those that went missing have returned," Vander said after listening to their report.

It was true, after Yaldabaoth was defeated, all the kids that were reported missing were found in the camp in the forest, the Velvet Room attendants bringing them back. Unfortunately, those that had been found lifeless on the rooftops were gone forever, and after the entire scenario, the death count had reached a staggering twenty kids.

"I'm glad that the kids returned, but I'm sorry for the damage that had been done to your community," Sarah said with a sad smile.

"Although, I will question… how are you even _standing_?" Vander asked.

He did have a point, everyone was covered in bandages and Wendy was forbidden by Marcus and Carla to use her healing magic. They were all still rather low on magic power, even after a good night's sleep.

"Let's just chalk it down to willpower," Marcus chuckled.

"Well, we've subtracted the damages fee, which will be 200,000 Jewel from each case, however, here's the rest," He said, lifting two cases onto the desk, Sarah and Marcus both opened them to check briefly, but nodded.

"Sorry Mr Mayor, I broke the fountain," Kione said. "I did it to scare everyone from the plaza, allowing us to fight without getting anyone hurt."

"Don't sweat it kid, it was a good plan, just… please don't break anything next time?" Vander asked.

"Next time?" Marcus asked dryly.

"Well… maybe not," Vander chuckled, to which they all laughed. "Either way, I cannot thank you enough for the service you have done for our town. You will always be welcome back here at any time."

"Thank you very much Mr Vander," Wendy smiled.

* * *

Leaving the Mayor's office, they headed back to the station to wait for the next train back to Magnolia. While they waited, Sarah turned to Marcus. "Hey, why don't you stop by Fairy Tail, we owe you a drink for the awesome adventure," She offered. "Non-alcoholic options as well," She voiced to the unspoken objections of Carla.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, checking with his team with a silent question. When they nodded that he make the choice, he shrugged, "I mean… we wouldn't want to be a burden or anything," He said.

"Nah, we probably wouldn't have beaten them by ourselves, you guys really kicked butt out there," Jet shook off the concern.

"Well… ok, I mean… we might meet Salamander, so that's a plus," Marcus sighed.

"Don't forget, he might be on a job," Kione said.

"Yeah, but a pit stop in Magnolia will be good anyway, besides, we might be stuck if they haven't repaired the track on Clover Canyon," Emi spoke up.

"Eh, sorry about that, that's partially on me," Sarah now chuckled.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the train, which got Marcus nervous as he stepped aboard and into a compartment. It was a tight fit, but everyone got into the compartment.

"Hey, I got a question, do you get motion sickness like Natsu does?" Asked Jet.

He was answered shortly by the train jolting out of the station, and Marcus' stomach along with it. "You… suck… Jet…" He grunted.

"Don't take it too bad, I feel a tiny bit sick because of all the vibrations around us," Kione said, groaning slightly.

* * *

 **Marcus: Feels good to get that chapter out, sorry it's a bit short.**

 **Melody: What's the deal with yours and Wendy's secret arts?**

 **Marcus: Well, you know how Natsu had the Hidden Fire Form? This is what I consider the equivalent, also, I think we can all agree that Wendy needed another combat secret art. So I decided to give them some finishing spells.**

 **All: Next time: The Phantom Lord!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Phantom Lord

**Who's ready for a bloodbath?! By the time this arc is finished, you're going to see the parts of my characters that you never thought they could have. So, without further waiting, let's get right into the Phantom Lord arc!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: The Phantom Lord  
**

 **Title Song: Sense of Wonder - Fairy Tail OP 2**

* * *

"That's it, I'm gonna learn teleportation magic, that way I'll never have to ride transportation again," Marcus groaned as they walked down the main street away from the station.

"That won't work Marcus, there isn't a teleportation spell in the world that would transport you that far," Melody pointed out, sitting on his shoulder.

"We're staying here a few more days until they can repair the railway to Clover, this means we can get some rest and get our energy back," Carla pointed out.

"I would have thought they would have gotten the job done by now, I guess construction work takes longer than I thought," Emi mused.

Sarah smiled as she listened to the Cait Shelter wizards talk, they were just like her and Team Shadow Gear, granted, she often did solo gigs or duo jobs with Erza, but Shadow Gear always roped her back in.

"Wow, look at the church!" Wendy smiled. "It's so pretty."

"That's Kardia Cathedral, one of Magnolia's biggest landmarks, the other two are Southgate Park, I'll give you a guess where that is, and the other…" She trailed off with a smile, as they carried on up the street. Beside her, Shadow Gear were sharing looks of relief and excitement.

The ten wizards paused outside a large building sitting on the edge of town by the sea. "… Is Fairy Tail," Sarah finished.

"Wow, I can't argue with the fact this looks like a legit guildhall," Marcus whistled, looking up at the flag and the name above the door.

"What's the word Kione?" Jet asked. "Is it safe?"

"Well… looks like it's quiet, but Natsu and the gang's back, so I think we're good," Kione said.

With that said, Jet and Droy pushed open the doors, "We're back!" They both called out.

"Team Shadow Gear has returned victorious!" Kione and Levy grinned.

"Did they rehearse that or…?" Sarah heard Wendy ask, causing her to giggle.

"Hey guys, welcome back," A white haired girl was first to greet them.

Wendy and Emi's eyes widened, "Wow! Mirajane!" Emi gasped, she fiddled around in her purse, "I think I have a pen and the latest copy of Sorcerer Weekly in here somewhere…"

"Oh? Do we have new members?" Mira asked.

"Nope, they already belong to a guild, Cait Shelter," Sarah said. She then spotted Master Makarov glaring at Team Natsu. She motioned the Cait Shelter group to follow with Mira in tow.

"Master, we're back," The blonde girl said, approaching the scene.

"Ah, Sarah, you all made it back in one piece, that's good to hear," Makarov said. His eyes drifted to the group behind her, and Sarah could tell his eyes widened slightly.

"Must I ask what the situation is here? Natsu and Gray look terrified and Lucy looks like she's about to faint," She asked.

Erza answered. "Natsu and Happy stole the S-Class quest for Galuna Island, they dragged Lucy into their schemes and Gray ended up tagging along as well, since they took an S-Class job without permission, they have been punished."

"Let me guess? _That?_ " Sarah asked, looking a little green.

"Indeed," Erza nodded.

Makarov smiled. "Who have we here?" He asked.

"Master Makarov, may I introduce Marcus Cersy, Wendy Marvel, Emi Hamane, Melody Cersy and Carla Marvel, they are wizards from Cait Shelter and I offered them a round of drinks as thanks for the good adventure, they're also stuck on this side of Clover canyon until they repair the tracks. Cait Shelter, may I introduce Master Makarov Dreyar."

Marcus and his friends bowed politely. "It's an honour sir," They all said.

"Ah, forget all that formality, Welcome to Fairy Tail kids," The small master grinned.

* * *

Marcus smiled as an iced tea was placed in front of him, and a bubbly milkshake was put before Wendy. Emi had some herbal tea and the cats had tea. Mid drink, he spotted the pink haired boy he had seen earlier come over.

"You two," He pointed at Marcus and Wendy, "Why do you two smell like dragons?" He asked. The air went still, the tables surrounding them had gone quiet.

"We probably smell like dragons for the same reason that you do," Marcus pointed out. "You're Salamander, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yep! This is Natsu! He's a fire dragon slayer!" A blue cat that looked like Carla and Melody chirped, leaping up onto the table.

"And why do you care?" Natsu asked. "I asked a question first!"

"Chill, I'm a dragon slayer too, as is Wendy," Marcus said. The words caused everyone around them to gasp or drop their drinks in shock.

"Wha? Both of you are dragon slayers?" Natsu was shocked.

"I thought Natsu was the only one!" The blonde girl that had followed him over asked.

"So did I, what kinda elements do you guys use then?" Asked a young man in his underwear, causing Marcus to cover Wendy and Emi's eyes.

"First of all, put on some pants," This caused him to freak out and look for his black pants. "Second, I use Ice Magic, Wendy uses Sky Magic," The mention of ice caught the attention of the man.

"Ice huh?" He smirked. "Kid, I know you're our guest and all, but later, I'd love to spar with ya, see, I'm an Ice Make wizard, and any chance to get some inspiration from a fellow ice user…"

"You're on, after that, Natsu, I think everyone here suddenly wants to know how two dragon slayers would do in battle," Marcus nodded.

"I don't think fighting Salamander would be a good idea… Marcus, you're still recovering from your battles yesterday, I doubt a dragon slayer fight would help with that recovery," Carla suggested.

Marcus then noticed that Melody was giggling, and he spotted her gesturing towards the blue cat, that was staring with a lovestruck gaze at Carla. He rolled his eyes.

"You have a point Carla, I apologise Natsu, I know you probably want to see who'd be stronger, but I fought a melee magic user yesterday as well as a wind user, both of which were pretty difficult to beat, and they gave us a beating too. We will fight, just not until I'm in better condition," Marcus sighed, lifting his shirt to show the multitude of bandages beneath.

"It's cool, but you promised man, stop by anytime for a beating," Natsu said.

* * *

After some drinks and telling the story of their adventures together, Marcus went out the back, where he and the ice wizard stood fifteen paces from each other.

"Alright, Gray, Marcus, I want a nice clean fight. Both of you are still recovering from injuries caused in previous battles, so please take care," Makarov said. Both nodded at his orders. "With that settled, let this spar begin!"

Both wizards settled into the same stance, fist on top of an open palm.

 **"** **Ice Make: Lance!"** Both called out, releasing a salvo of icy arrows at their foe. Connecting in the middle, both attacks cancelled out.

Gray blinked, taken aback by his opponent's spell. "You use ice make magic too?" He asked.

"Well yeah, it's a useful magic type to use, and not as power consuming as dragon slayer magic, but let's continue, **Ice Dragon Claw!"** He charged forwards, raising a hand with ice on the fingertips.

Gray's eyes widened, **"Ice Make: Shield!"** He called out, a snowflake shaped barrier appearing before him. The icy claws slashed against his defence, leaving marks on the other side.

"Quick reflexes," Marcus smiled. Before Gray could make any reaction, Marcus took a bite into the shield, then started slurping as the ice turned to a stream that found it's way down his throat.

"Whoa! He's scarfing it down!" Levy gasped.

"That confirms it then… he really is the ice dragon slayer…" The red haired girl that Marcus recognised as Erza Scarlet. "Kaiser of the Cold."

Fairy Tail were amazed at his power, but Marcus just wiped his mouth, "Hey… this ice has no flavour…" He remarked, before leaping back. "However… There's a blizzard raging in my belly!"

"At least he isn't copying Natsu word for word… Cheesy line though," The blonde girl muttered.

 **"** **Ice Dragon…!"** He called out, taking in a deep breath. **"ROAR!"**

"Uh oh…" Gray muttered. **"Ice Cannon!"** He quickly melded together a large cannon made of ice, propping it on his shoulder, firing a blast.

Once again, their attacks clashed in the middle, a raging blizzard from Marcus, a concentrated ice blast from Gray.

"A tie?" Asked a man with black hair, wearing a poncho.

"I don't know, wait…" The person next to him, a woman with green hair wearing a red cowgirl hat, replied.

Marcus pooled in a bit more power, and his blast began to push back, before overpowering Gray and knocking him onto his back. Marcus' eyes widened when he saw a small red patch appearing on his opponent's bandages. "Crap, Gray!" He called out, running over.

"Looks like the fight's over," Melody observed as Mirajane rushed over with a medical kit.

"Gray, I'm sorry, we shouldn't have been fighting yet, damn it," Marcus said.

"Don't sweat it kid, this wasn't your fault, our last job, a guy put a damn tiger of ice through my stomach," Gray grunted as he froze over the wound.

"Either way, I vote we stop the duel for now," Master Makarov said, walking over. "You're a remarkable wizard Marcus."

"Thank you sir," Marcus bowed respectfully.

* * *

The Cait Shelter team stayed in Magnolia for the rest of the week, recovering from their battles. Marcus let Wendy remove the bandages on his arm, both smiling at the wound being patched up completely. There was a couple of scars though.

"I don't mind, scars tell stories," Marcus was saying to Wendy. The two, along with Melody, Carla and Emi left their hotel, heading towards Fairy Tail for the day. Natsu and his team, which was Lucy, the blonde girl, Gray, Erza and Happy, his friend the blue cat, had gone on a small job a few days ago.

The walk up to the guildhall was quiet, but as they got closer, they noticed something different about their destination. Several massive steel beams were jutting out of the hall, and a massive one had gutted the building from the floor to the roof.

"Oh no…" Marcus muttered. "Come on!" He led the group of five up to the guildhall. Running through the knocked down doors, they looked around at the damage.

Wendy walked over and touched a metal pillar. "Marcus! Come and tell me what you think of this magic?"

Marcus touched the pillar, "… A Dragon Slayer did this," He said. "Iron…" His eyes narrowed into slits. "Gajeel…"

"Gajeel? That's the Iron Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord if I'm not mistaken," Carla blinked.

"Yeah…" Marcus replied.

"Marcus?" The five turned, Mira was standing there, next to a staircase into a cellar. "Come down here," She said.

Coming into the basement, Marcus was relieved to see that no-one seemed hurt. At least, not physically. Their pride and their spirits however looked shattered.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Phantom got us good. They kicked us while we weren't looking!" Sarah snapped, coming over.

"We've never been on the best of terms with those Phantom chumps, but for them to do something like this…" Jet was muttering.

"What a bunch of jerks…" Kione growled.

"Wanna teach them a lesson?" Droy asked.

"Lay off them guys…" Levy sighed. Emi went over to give the two girls a hug.

"I recognised the work done upstairs," Marcus said. "It's their Iron Dragon Slayer. They call him 'Black Steel' Gajeel. I've run into him before," He scowled.

"Really?" Sarah looked intrigued at this. "What happened?"

"…" Marcus didn't answer, instead turning to see Makarov sitting on a crate before a job board. It seemed this was more of a backup hall in case the one upstairs got too damaged for use.

"He's taken this hard. He's not showing it though, hiding his sorrow behind alcohol," Mira sighed.

Natsu and his team soon returned from their job. They were equally shocked at the damage done. "Yo! Whashup kids?" Makarov asked. It didn't take a genius to guess he was completely wasted.

"Sorry we weren't here sooner," Erza apologised.

"Why the heck're you just sitting around down here?!" Asked Natsu.

"How'd it go Lushy? You finish the job like a good girl?" Makarov ignored them, continuing his original conversation.

"Y-yeah I guess so?" Lucy didn't seem to know how to answer in this situation.

"Master, don't you realise the gravity of the situation?" Erza asked.

Natsu was quick to add to this, "The guildhall has been completely destroyed!"

"There's no need to get all worked up about thish, it's not the end of the world ya know," Makarov slurred. He paused to take a big swig from his tankard.

"What?" Gray asked.

"Just goes to show how cowardly those dunderheads in the Phantom Lord guild really are, they struck when no-one was here, is that something worth bragging about?" Makarov asked.

"Nobody was here?" Erza asked.

"It was after everyone had left to go home for the night," Mira explained.

"I suppose we can be thankful for that," Erza sighed with relief. "I'm glad that no-one was hurt in the attack."

"We shouldn't even trouble ourselves with people that don't even have the guts to face us head-on. Forget about those fools," Makarov said.

A fist suddenly smashed the side of a crate to bits. "Ain't gonna happen gramps!" Natsu snapped. "We can't just let them trash our place and get away with it!"

"I'm not talking about this any longer," Makarov said, pouting like a little girl. "We'll handle job requests down here until upstairs is repaired."

"Ugh, we shouldn't be worried about jobs right now! This is about-!"

"NATSU! That's enough out of you!" Makarov commanded. Marcus was more interested in his stretched arm than anything, although where the hand ended up was not as amusing.

"And you spanked me because…?" Lucy asked.

"Keep your hands to yourself Master!" Mira frowned at the tiny old man.

Makarov then hopped down and ran off. "And where are you going old man?!" Natsu asked.

"Keep your dress on. I gotta take a leak," Makarov slurred.

Natsu sighed, disappointed. "I don't understand why he's being like this," He said.

"Listen, you got to understand this is just as hard on him, as it is on you," Mira frowned.

"I'm sure you all want to get some payback, but conflict between guilds is banned," Carla added.

* * *

That evening, around seven o'clock, Makarov called the attention of every wizard in the basement. "Listen up! Phantom Lord wrecked our guildhall, which means they probably are still here in town. Until we can be sure they left, I don't want a single member of our guild by themselves. Divide how you like, but make sure to go to those who have already left and tell them the news! Cait Shelter wizards, I want you to follow this instruction as well, any attacker might not see you as another guild's member, so stay sharp and stay with another wizard!" Makarov called out.

Wendy and Carla were invited up to Fairy Hills by Sarah, Emi decided to go with Team Shadow Gear. Marcus and Melody found themselves tagging along with Team Natsu.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Marcus asked, gazing around the apartment. "Something tells me she'll be mad."

"It's fine, me and Happy do this all the time, she doesn't mind one bit," Natsu shrugged. He still looked bummed out from the argument with Makarov today.

"Aye sir!" Happy saluted.

"Is that your response to everything?" Melody asked.

"Aye!" Happy replied with a grin. Melody shook her head, but giggled.

The door suddenly opened, Lucy walking in, "Fairy Tail is kinda like my family," She was muttering with a smile.

"Welcome home."

"Very nice place you have here."

"Sorry to barge in, they insisted."

Gray, Erza and Marcus said respectively.

"THEY LIKE TO BARGE IN WITHOUT ASKING FIRST!" Lucy screeched, shocked at how many were in her house. She then threw her suitcase at a random target, that being Natsu. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" She demanded.

Erza and Gray filled her in on the orders Makarov gave out earlier. "I mean, aren't you the most fresh blood in Fairy Tail? That and being a pretty young lady puts you at a high spot on Phantom's targets." Marcus mentioned. "I was just thinking what a Phantom guy might be thinking before you ask," He added.

He unrolled his bedroll and put it aside in the bedroom. Lucy brewed some tea and handed Marcus some water with ice. Gray sat at a desk reading something absent-mindedly. Erza had first go in the bath, and Melody decided she'd tag along.

Marcus sighed with relief when Erza requipped her towel into a set of pink pyjamas with purple Heart Kreuz crosses dotted on them. Lucy went next, when she came out in a white T-shirt and pink sweats, she turned to Natsu, sitting at the table. "Okay Natsu, I'm all done with my bath," When he didn't answer, she turned to the other boys. "Gray? Marcus?"

Marcus took the offer since Gray was too absorbed with his reading. With a sigh, he settled into the warm water, letting it soak away his worries and concerns for Fairy Tail's problems. "Man… who knew I would get caught into a feud with Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord?" He muttered. He sneered at the second name, "Damn it… I hope that some property damage is all that will happen. Please don't let a war start tomorrow," He prayed.

* * *

"Shouldn't you three be bunking up at Fairy Hills with the rest of the girls?" Jet asked, walking with Shadow Gear back to Droy's house, which was the agreed location to stay together.

"Aw, and break up the team?" Kione asked with a smile.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to leave you two alone," Levy added, her arms out with a carefree grin.

Behind the girls, Jet and Droy almost fainted at Levy's words. Emi giggled at the four wizards and their antics. "How far to go Droy?" She asked.

That was the last thing any of them heard. A dark shape was already shooting towards them by the time she had turned around to register anything.

* * *

The next morning, Team Natsu, Marcus and Melody were awoken by a loud banging at the door. "Miss Lucy? You might wanna head over to Southgate Park, something's gone down, and chances are that it's your guild at the source."

This got all of them up, changing quickly, Marcus was first out the door, closely followed by Natsu, Gray and Erza. Happy, Melody and Lucy, who was still in her night clothes, followed behind them.

"Excuse us, we're from their guild!" Erza announced as they approached the crowd around a large tree. When the crowd parted, Marcus stopped, as did his blood.

On the tree, bolted to the thick trunk, was Team Shadow Gear. Droy and Jet looked like they had taken a few heavy hits, Marcus spotted Droy's head was bleeding and his leg looked badly broken and Jet's right arm was broken as well. But the girls were in the worst condition. Levy's shirt was ripped to just below her upper chest, and the Phantom Lord emblem had been inked onto her stomach. Kione had a few ribs broken, and Marcus saw a leg broken as well. His eyes passed them, focusing on the icing on the cake.

Emi.

She looked horrible. She had been beaten black and blue. Her right eye looked swollen to hell, her foot was broken and around her neck was a sign. One Marcus read as 'Nobody likes a nobody from a guild from nowhere'.

"Levy! Kione!" Lucy gasped.

"Jet! Droy!" Gray was so shocked he almost forgot to breathe.

"Emi…" Marcus grit his teeth.

He sprung into action. Creating a pair of ice spears, he tossed them into the wall, between Emi and Kione. Leaping up to stand on the spears, he put his hand on the iron. "Gajeel!" He roared. With pure strength, he tore the metal restraints off. "Natsu! Gray! Get ready to catch them!" He called down.

He released the other restraint from Emi first, and she fell into Natsu's arms. "Emi!" The dragon slayer gasped. "She's not looking hot at all." He said.

"Kione's not doing much better," Gray said. "Come on kid, please wake up and say something." He saw Sarah sprinting into the park.

"I came as soon as I heard the… Kione? KIONE?!" She dashed up to Gray. "What happened?!" She asked.

"We dunno, we came when we heard there was a commotion involving Fairy Tail, we were not expecting this…" Gray said, he handed Kione to her sister, and helped Marcus bring down Levy. They put her gently on the grass, then did the same with Jet and Droy. Marcus made a prop to keep Droy's leg raised, and encased Jet's arm in a cast of ice. Lastly he froze the head wound on Droy's forehead.

"I can take our headquarters being reduced to rubble…" Marcus gasped, he hadn't even heard Makarov arrive. "But I will not allow harm to my children without taking REVENGE!" The Fairy Tail guildmaster growled, breaking his staff into splinters. "We have no choice but to go to war!" He snapped.

"I will be going too," Marcus said, holding Emi's head in his lap.

"Marcus my boy… I'm sorry that one of your guildmates was hurt. You have the right for revenge, just as we do. I will take the fall if the Magic Council retaliate," Makarov said, sadly looking down at Emi's face, scrunched up with pain.

"First we'll take them to the hospital, then we go break some Phantom necks!" Sarah voted.

"Oh. You can have the guildhall. I've got one target," Marcus said. "I don't care what anyone says. Gajeel is _DEAD!_ "

* * *

In Oak Town, at the top of the hill was one branch of the Phantom Lord guild. Inside, a girl looked down from one of the top rafters, she hated the common riff-raff of the guild below, only accepting a couple of the members into her inner circle. "I see you're as anti-social as ever." The girl was wearing a grey vest over a white shirt with a neck tie that was green with silver stripes. She wore a skirt the same colour as her vest and black boots, lastly, a black cloak was over her shoulders. She seemed to be casually twirling a black stick.

She rolled her eyes at the voice, and looked up to a rafter just above her. "Gajeel, I hope you understand that we are probably going to jail by the time this scenario with Fairy Tail ends."

"Ah, calm down Winona, those Fairy Tail chumps can't hold a candle to us. And don't forget to count yourself to that, you're stronger than Aria, and he's in the Element Four," Gajeel said. He had black hair that trailed into a long spiky ponytail, he wore a dark blue sleeveless jacket over a white vest, the blue jacket trailing into a longcoat. He wore white pants down to black boots. On the trims of his jacket and pants were metal braces, and rivets were drilled into his face, three above each eye and another three down each side of his nose. A feather accessory was on his right shoulder, with the mark of his guild right beneath it.

"I guess… but… wait… do you feel that?" She asked.

Gajeel looked at her like she'd grown a head, then paused. Looking down, the two wizards watched as the door was blasted open by a fusion of fire and icy winds.

When the smoke cleared, a pink haired boy and a black haired boy stood and crouched respectively, and a large pack of wizards walked in. "FAIRY TAIL HAS COME CALLING!" An older voice yelled out.

A pack of Phantom wizards charged at the two boys. First, the pink haired boy released waves of fire from his arms. "ALRIGHT! WHO WANTS TO PLAY WITH FIRE!" He yelled.

A second later, the black haired boy ripped through the remaining Phantoms with icy claws. "I'LL SHATTER THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU!" He roared.

Gajeel's eyes locked onto the two boys, while Winona just looked with interest. "Looks like a spare. He's a front runner though, and keeping up with Salamander," She said.

"Well, you remember the plan, first we wait for that old fossil to get upstairs. Then we can join the party-!" Gajeel's words were broken by a fist into his chin.

"Well, Black Steel Gajeel, I thought I smelled your vile stench the moment I came into Oak Town," A voice said.

Winona realised this was the black haired boy from the front of the group down there. She then registered Gajeel climbing back up from the rafters below. "I thought a smell was familiar. You're that ice dragon runt I met last year, with the kid."

"The kid you attacked with a giant chainsword!" The boy said, icy claws covering his wrists.

"I heard you got a title recently. Kaiser of the Cold, that's what they call you? Man that's a cheesy name," Gajeel chuckled.

"Shut up Gajeel! I'm gonna finally make you pay for what you did to Emma all those years ago. And this morning, Emi… a girl who just wants to make a living as a wizard, you put her in such a condition that I'm worried that she'll not be able to see out her black eye!" The boy, Kaiser, said. "I'm going to kill you!" He roared, rushing at Gajeel with his claws.

"I'd like to see you try, Kaiser," Gajeel said, his arm turning into a club of iron.

* * *

Below, Melody watched the battle progress with Happy, she was amazed at the skill and power of all the Fairy Tail wizards, they were all so brilliant at their powers.

She watched the orange haired Loke blow away a swarm of Phantom with a tornado coming from his ring magic. She saw the brunette Cana pull out three cards, zapping another group with lightning. She watched the older duo of Macao and Wakaba ensnare a bunch of goons with purple fire, then beat them senseless with smoky fists.

She watched Natsu take a deep breath, **"Fire Dragon ROAR!"** He yelled out. Blazing hot flames blasted at a massive group of wizards. He then backed up to Gray, the two grinning together. "You're not doing too bad for being a snowman," He snarked.

"I could say the same, ya pyro," Gray shot back.

"Focus boys, until this guild is buried, we can't get cocky," Sarah said. **"Void Magic: Disintegration!"** She yelled, fists of void power decking any Phantom wizard that got too close.

"Get the cats!" A wizard called out. Melody registered about fifteen wizards rushing at her and Happy.

"Happy, you might want to get to cover, it's about to get loud in here," Melody warned her fellow feline. She suddenly transformed into her human form, surprising the wizards. "Morning boys, you mind me putting on a show?" She asked, a violin appearing in her hands and a pair of massive speakers behind her.

Happy was surprised by Melody's transformation, then the speakers and violin. "Transformation magic, and now requip magic?" He asked.

"That's nothing. **Song of the Wild Pride!"** She began to play a heavy riff of music that was too fast for Happy to keep track. ( **A/N: Fairy Tail theme** ) That wasn't the thing to focus on though, cats conjured from pure magic power were rushing forwards, charging at the Phantom wizards. They pounced, slashed and bit at anything they could.

"Whoa…" Happy gasped. "Music magic?" He asked.

Melody didn't answer, focused on her song. She didn't notice some Phantom wizards attacking from behind the speakers. "You guys clearly forgot something," He smirked, summoning his wings and getting their attention. "I'm a wizard too!" He grinned, pulling a pair of bass out of his bag. "You got a problem with cats?" He asked with a dark gleam in his eyes. He began to beat the Phantoms down with his favourite food-turned-weapons.

Erza leapt through the air, requipping into her Flame Empress armour, which was an orange, red and black dragon themed chestplate, gauntlets and leg armour from the knee to the boots. She slashed through a horde of wizards. "Tell me, where can I find the Element Four?!" She demanded.

Above in the tower, Marcus glared at Gajeel. "Sorry, but we're not to join the fight yet. So head back down and we'll be with you soon," He just now registered the girl sitting nearby in a classic witch robe, she pointed a black stick at him. **"Incarcerous!"** She said, suddenly a bola was flying at him, and ensnared him in thick rope. On top of that, it sent him falling back down.

Makarov, who was currently enlarged to a giant, caught the boy and ripped the bola off. "Calm yourself boy. I'm sure that the elites will join the battle when I head up to confront José," He said. "For now, deal with the common rabble with the rest of my children."

Marcus nodded, reluctant, but went down to punch a goon that was leaping at Bisca the cowgirl gunner. "Thanks Marcus," She nodded, before requipping a magic shotgun. **"Wide Shot!"** She called out, letting out a massive spread of magic pellets that knocked another group out.

Ducking under a blast of fire, Marcus was caught off guard by the sudden blast of ice that hit him in the stomach, blossoming out in front of him. He grinned as the Phantom wizard celebrated at what he assumed was a KO. Marcus lowered his head to a branch of ice near his mouth and took a bite, which converted the solid into a semi-vapor state.

The wizard's jaw dropped as he watched Marcus slurp the icy attack down his throat. "Thanks for the meal, I got a blizzard raging in my belly! Let me return the favour! **Ice Dragon ROAR!"** He yelled, releasing his breath attack that blasted a large section of the guild's wall to bits, and those between him and the wall were hit either by the ice or the debris.

He hoped that Wendy and Carla would be safe, being asked to remain behind to monitor Team Shadow Gear.

* * *

Wendy sat on a chair next to Emi, before glancing over to Kione, Jet, Droy and Levy. "Why?" She asked. "Why did Phantom do this?"

"From what I've heard, Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord have had a bitter rivalry that's been around for hundreds of years," Carla said. "Unfortunately, Emi was mistaken to be a Fairy Tail member, and got attacked for it."

Wendy frowned, then paused. "Carla, do you sense that?" She asked.

"Faintly, yes. Hang on… it's raining but the sun is shining," Carla observed, looking out the window. They then glanced at each other with shock.

"Lucy!" They both gasped.

* * *

Lucy herself was in a bit of a bind, reaching for her keys. She was now boxed in between two members of Phantom Lord. If her memory was correct, they were members of the Element Four, which Erza had told her they were on par with the S-Class wizards of Fairy Tail. And to top off her fears, they were here for her.

Suddenly, she was lifted up into a sphere of water, her keys falling to the ground. "Do not waste your energy," A blue haired woman wearing a dark blue fur coat and matching hat, she was also carrying a pink umbrella said. "My **Water Lock** spell cannot be broken."

"Oh yeah? What about from the outside?!" A young voice asked. **"Sky Dragon Hammering Hurricane!"** A sudden hurricane burst through the water sphere, grabbing Lucy and breaking out the other side. "You ok Lucy?" Asked the voice.

Lucy was surprised to see Wendy helping her to her feet. "My keys!" She gasped. A hand held them up to her.

"Looking for these?" Asked a white haired girl with ears and a tail. Her voice seemed familiar.

"Carla?" Lucy asked, taking the keys from the girl and entering a fighting stance.

"We'll explain later, what's the deal with these clowns?" Carla asked.

"Ah, more Fairy Tail wizards?" A green haired man wearing a monocle, a brown suit with matching pants and slick brown shoes asked. He was wobbling like his spine was made of jelly.

"You're mistaken. We aren't Fairy Tail, we're from Cait Shelter," Wendy said.

"Then why save a girl from a completely different guild?" Asked the blue haired woman.

"Well, we have a couple of reasons. We'll just go with the reason: This is for Emi!" Wendy's fist, surrounded with sky magic, slammed into the green haired man's chest, while Carla's purple glowing foot connected with the blue haired woman's stomach.

"Emi? Who is this Emi character you speak of?" Asked the green haired man.

"She's our friend and guildmate, and she was attacked and left chained up in the park by one of you Phantom freaks," Carla said.

"Non, non, non! It seems that in his eagerness to strike a target last night, monsieur Gajeel did not see a different guild emblem in the group he attacked," The man said. "Juvia, we should retreat and report this to Master José."

"And what about our target?" Juvia asked. "Monsieur Sol, we were tasked to return her to him so we could return her to her father."

Lucy's eyes widened, "Her father?" Wendy asked. "Wait. Lucy's _father_ is paying you to attack Fairy Tail?"

"Que voulez-vous dire? You mean she has not told you? La demoiselle is le fille to the Heartfilia family. Her papa, Jude Heartfilia, will pay a hefty sum to see her returned," Sol explained.

Lucy looked like she was going to cry, "Well, you failed, we won't let you take her, so run back to your guild and let them know that Cait Shelter will be coming for them," Carla hissed at the two.

They shared a look, Sol taking Juvia's spare hand, and the two disappearing into the ground. Wendy and Carla shared a look of confusion before turning back to the sobbing Lucy. "He never cared before… I'm surprised he even noticed I was gone," She said between sobs.

"Come on, let's get you back to Fairy Tail for now, Mira will know how to make you feel a bit better," Wendy smiled, helping her on her way, while Carla grabbed her groceries.

* * *

 **Marcus: That's it for this chapter, man, I feel bad for what I had to write about Emi and Shadow Gear.**

 **Melody: Not much you could of done, what next? Ah!**

 **All: Next time: Counterattack!**


End file.
